Dancing with fear

As I sit here at Stockholm Airport drinking an americano venti at Starbucks, about to board a plane back to Amsterdam, I write on my mobile a story I hope will help you become the person you want to be.

One day, it will be your turn to give your first keynote presentation in front of hundreds of people as I did last night. I am going to share with you the concept of dancing with fear and how this is like dancing around a campfire.

Fear is something we all feel. Many books have been written on this topic and what I will address now is the fear of judgement. Its the fear of what others will think of you and the fear of what you will end up thinking about yourself – the worst fear of all – Maybe I was wrong all along? Maybe I am stupid and it’s just a matter of time before others find out? Maybe I am replaceable and just a cog in the system and it’s just a matter of time before they replace me?

Fear can destroy you just like fire can burn you up to ashes. Face fear and dive into its relentless ability to suck the life out of you and you will burn up and ultimately run from it in a final attempt to survive and persist to fight another day.

But run from fear and you will never grow and become the person you want to be. You will miss life’s challenges, the very challenges that make life so worth living.

The path to success is through failure. There is no other way. And don’t believe anyone that tells you otherwise. Everything worth having in life is worth fighting for, and we don’t always win the fight. In life, here are 2 sides to every story, there can be no light without darkness, there can be no good without evil, there can be no love without hate, there can be no victory without loss, and there can be no success without failure.

So what do you do? Do you face fear and go through it at your own peril or do you run away from it forever destroying your chances to grow and live and become the person you always wanted to become? Or even the person you always dreamed about but never believed it could be you?

There is another way. The only way. The best way and the way I want to teach you today as you read this. You can dance it. Dancing with fear is like keeping a campfire under control, which has been the savior to many lives throughout human history. Run away from the fire and it will die into cold ashes. Get to close and it will burn you and take your life if you are not careful. But learn to live with it and nurture it, keep it around you at all times and ensure it remains under control and keeps you safe from the harsh elements of nature; and only then, will you learn to dance around it, and dance with it and celebrate its very existence. And the fire dances with you, in all its glory.

Dance with fear just as you would dance around the campfire. That is the secret to becoming who you want to be. The best part is, it’s a skill like any other. You can learn it with practice. All you need to know is that fear is something you must learn to dance with. And if you do, it will take you to amazing places.

Love you all. From the land of pippi langkous.

Now watch me as I dance with fear :)

You can also listen to the audio version via Sound Cloud (tip: you can download or stream it and listen while traveling to and from work … or even at the gym or on a walk or run…that’s how I do it. :)