Tag: overcoming fear

I Almost Turned Back

While traveling to Guatemala City for a work-related trip about six weeks ago, I almost turned back. 

An expected five-hour layover in my connecting airport on my travel day in early July turned into an additional 11-hour flight delay. This meant I spent 16 hours roaming the airport (before the airline eventually cancelled the flight altogether, just after midnight).

Amid the waiting to see when the flight would leave came news that a fairly significant earthquake had rumbled through the country 24 hours earlier. 

While my colleagues who are based in Guatemala were moving forward with business as usual (small earthquakes are the norm; this bigger 5.7 magnitude one didn’t rattle them), I was wondering whether the delays and the shaking earth were signs to reschedule the trip.

Just as I had that thought, a team member who was traveling separately to meet us there let me know she had boarded her flight. When I asked her if the doors had closed and her “yes” meant she couldn’t quickly deplane, I took that as a sign that we were all meant to trust our faith (so grateful for the prayers that were surrounding us!) and our Guatemalan colleagues’ assurances that all would be fine. 

I decided on a Plan B for a quick departure if necessary, and we moved forward. 

Within an hour of landing the next day and meeting our calm-natured colleague “A,” and being escorted to our hotel in the heart of Guatemala City, I knew we’d be okay. 

A few days later, when we reached the beautiful city of Antigua and were greeted with gorgeous views of the mountains and a “behaving” live volcano, and warm-hearted people that included other wonderful colleagues, my U.S.-based team and I nodded at each other: Pushing through the delays, the uncomfortable unknowns of what awaited us, and keeping our storytelling mission top of mind had paid off.

The gift of these views and the meaningful connections made, even before our formal work began, had stretched us. 

We grew individually, bonded as a team, and grounded ourselves in the mantra our organization’s leader often utters: We can do hard things well.

The overarching reminder for me as a person of faith? God really does have His hand on us at every turn, and even in stressful times, His presence is evident, if we’ll look for and recognize the signs.  

The overarching lesson/reminder for my team and me?

When you persist through whatever challenges you may encounter, there are often rewards beyond measure on the other side of your yes.

We’ll never forget the beauty of the people, nor the place, nor the power that comes from the PUSH (Persisting Until Something Happens). I believe each of us is better because of it. 

Stacy Hawkins Adams in Antigua, Guatemala

5 Ways to Push Past Fear

Were you one of those kids who believed that ghosts or monsters lurked in your bedroom closet, waiting until the lights were out and you were trying to sleep to make their presence known? (See my raised hand.)

Or, maybe you were the young adult with the world before you, yet you were so anxious about making wrong decisions that you opted more often than not to play it safe and make choices that were safe.  (Hand still partially raised.)

Or, could it be that now, as a full-fledged adult, you view your age, weight, finances, personality or other personal circumstances as reasons for staying in a holding pattern or coasting through each day?  (Hand NOT raised.)

It took me a while, but after living for a bit and surviving a couple of life’s major “D’s” – death of loved ones and divorce – I’ve come to realize that life’s not meant to be expansive and enjoyed only after you’ve conquered your challenges; instead,  while you’re wading (sometimes knee-deep) through them, you could be growing, learning, laughing, loving and even thriving in your inner soul.

Watching my now-deceased older sister find enjoyment in simple things after surviving a double lung transplant in 2011 taught me to value each breath, each opportunity to connect with loved ones, and indeed, each day.

Experiencing the death of important relationships and the snuffing out of their accompanying dreams taught me to value myself, flaws and all, because even if no one else is around, I have to live with and love me.

Pushing through all kinds of highs and lows with others shook me and shaped me into a more empathetic, peaceful and purposeful person – someone filled with more resilience, hope, deeper faith and joy for simple blessings than I otherwise might have possessed.

While my experiences have been uniquely my own, the benefits they’ve yielded are universally possible.

What has hampered you or broken your heart? What has made you press pause and enter a journey of self-examination or sacrifice? What has led to tears that have filled God’s bottle with your name on it, yet also grew a garden of unexpected supporters and mentors to surround you?

Consider those consequences as the gems for your journey. Allow them to fuel your steps forward and foster more hope and heartiness where needed.

Fear comes to us all, yet fear can’t take up residence unless we grant permission.

When it pays a visit, greet it with these behaviors:
  •  Acknowledge the emotion’s presence, then try to assess why you’re afraid.
  • Envision your worst-case scenario. If the thing you’re fearing were to happen, how would you survive? (Your faith, your Plan B, support from family or friends, or all of the above? )
  • Envision your best-case scenario and how this outcome would empower and elevate you. If this were to happen, how would you stay centered while sustaining the success?
  • Remind yourself that whatever comes, you are strong enough, smart enough and loved enough to fall down and get up, or to stand  and wait, or to rise and forge a new path – whatever is required.
  • Remember that by some accounts, FEAR is simply “False Evidence Appearing Real.” You have all within you to overtake whatever is causing you to stumble or spin your wheels.

Embrace the five suggestions outlined above and execute them routinely – one moment, one hour, one day at a time. Refresh and repeat as necessary.

Invest attention and intention in yourself, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself shedding your cocoon and soaring, in your solely special way.

You’ll be living life “untapped,” in a space where regrets are few, life lessons are abundant, and grace is more than sufficient.

CCO Use photo. Overcoming fear.