Fear Can Speak. But It Cannot Decide.

Fabiola: One thing that we've learned during this podcast is that fear does not always tell you to quit. Sometimes fear tells you to wait. Wait until you are more confident. Wait until you have more money. Wait until you know exactly what you're doing. Wait until the possibility of failure disappears. And because waiting sounds responsible, you may not recognize that fear is still making the decision. I'm Fabiola. And this is waiting isn't working. Season one of this podcast was about naming the things that keeps us still. Fear, procrastination, self-doubt, perfectionism, the excuses that sound reasonable enough to protect us from confronting what we are capable of becoming. But awareness was only the beginning. Because once you recognize the pattern, you have to decide what you're going to do when it appears again. Believe me, it will appear again. Fear does not disappear simply because you understand it. You can know that you are procrastinating and still procrastinate. You can recognize that you are afraid and still allow fear to control your next decision. You can write the goal down, pray about it, talk about it, think about it. and still remain in the same place. It has been my passion in season one for you to recognize fear, but that is not all. The goal is to develop a desire to become. That is stronger than fear's ability to stop you. I want you to think about that for a second. What happens when your desire to become grows stronger than your desire to remain comfortable? What happens when the person you know you could become begins to matter more than the protection fear is offering you? Because fear is offering you something, isn't it? That is why it can be difficult to release. Fear offers protection from embarrassment, protection from rejection, protection from disappointment, protection from being seen, trying before you have mastered it. Fear tells you. If you never begin, you never have to discover that you might fail. but fear lives out the other side of that agreement. If you never begin, you also never discover who you could become if you took action. You never meet the stronger version of yourself. you never develop the skill. You never Create the opportunity. That is why procrastination can feel so safe. Procrastination gives you temporary relief. You tell yourself, I'll do it later. And immediately the pressure decreases. You no longer have to confront the difficult conversation. or having to make the decision, for a moment you feel better. But later is not free. Later collects interest. The longer you wait, the larger the task becomes in your mind. The opportunity begins to feel further away. Your confidence decreases because every delay becomes more evident That you cannot trust yourself to move. And eventually what began as a decision you postpone. Becomes an identity you accept. You begin saying I am just not disciplined. I never finished anything. That's just who I am. But procrastination is not your identity. Fear is not your identity. They are patterns, and patterns can be interrupted. But you cannot interrupt a pattern by waiting for a different feeling. You interrupt a pattern by making a different decision. I want to give you a simple tool. The next time you notice yourself delaying something important, ask yourself three questions. Questions. The first one. What am I actually afraid of? I know you tell yourself that you're not afraid. do not answer with I am busy. Busy may be true, but busy is not always the truth. And you know that. Are you afraid of being judged? Are you afraid that your work would not be good enough? Name the real fear. Fear becomes more powerful when it remains undefined. The second question that I want you to ask yourself: what is this fear costing me? Not only financially, what is it costing your confidence, your peace, your time, your creativity, your opportunity to grow? what part of your life is remaining undeveloped simply because fear has been allowed to manage it? There is a cost to trying. There is also a cost to never trying. And you should know the price of both before you make your decision. The third question: who am I trying to become? And what would that person do next? Not next month, not when the fear disappears. What would that person do next? Maybe she would send the email. Maybe he would make the phone call. Maybe they would register for the class. Maybe you would record the first imperfect video. The next step does not have to be impressive. It only has to be honest. Honest action says I am afraid, but fear will not make this decision for me. That is courage. Courage is not pretending that fear is absent. Courage is deciding that fear is present but is no longer in charge. There is a version of you that will never be introduced to the world if fear continues to lead. becoming requires action. You cannot think your way into becoming. You cannot plan your way into becoming. You cannot wait. Your way into becoming The person you desire to become will require something from the person that you are today. A decision, a risk, a beginning, an uncomfortable conversation, Tomorrow cannot build on intentions alone. Tomorrow needs evidence. evidence that when fear spoke, it was not the only voice you listened to. you may still hear fear. You may still feel resistance You may still have questions. Move with the questions. Move with the trembling hands. With a trembling voice. today I want you to choose one thing you have been postponing, not five things. One. Write down the fear attached to it. write down what waiting has already cost you. Then choose one action that can be completed within the next 24 hours. Do not spend the next twenty four hours preparing to act. Act. Fear may continue speaking, but it does not have to continue deciding. Procrastination may offer you another comfortable delay, but you do not have to accept it. The person you are becoming is waiting for a decision from the person you are today. Make the desire to become stronger than the fear of beginning. I'll see you soon.