Fear...

Fear. It's a huge factor in what we do - or don't do - in our lives. Fear shows up in almost every situation you can imagine. It can be a motivator or it can be a debilitator...it's your choice.

When I was 17, I was a counselor at summer camp and one night a storm was coming in from the west. It was still a way off and a couple of the other counselors were sitting at the edge of a clearing watching it. I rolled out of my tent to go join them and watch the light show.

BAM!

I was engulfed in an orange ball of light, my entire body immediately went numb, I stumbled to my tent and collapsed, and I screamed like a girl (sorry ladies, no disrespect).

Lightning hit the tree I was standing under and as it ran down the tree it hit a spot where a branch had broken off in years past and it shot out sideways to where I was standing. The electrified air consumed me. I had never been so terrified in my life. But I was alive, not burned, and over the next few days every joint in my body was stiff and sore.

In an instant I developed a fear of lightning. Probably a good thing to fear, because it could have killed me.

Eight months later I was standing on top of a hill where we were pre-irrigating a field preparing for summer planting. I'm changing the water set, straddling a quarter-mile long aluminum pipe filled with water that was laid out across the top of the hill...and a lightning storm was coming.

I was scared because of my previous encounter with lightning. I'm standing in mud and putting my hands in the water. But the water set needed to be changed. That's the job that needs to be done.

I had a decision to make, get in the pickup and wait out the storm or hurry and get it done. If I waited, there was no telling how long it might take and this was a schedule that needed to be kept.

I faced THAT fear that evening. I hurried and finished while I flinched every time there was a flash of lightning.

Most of the fears we face won't kill us.

Are you afraid to speak in public? It won't kill you. Are you afraid to ask for a raise? It won't kill you. Are you afraid to apply for that job you'd really like to have? It won't kill you. Are you afraid to start that business you've always wanted? It won't kill you.

What are you afraid of? What fears do you let limit what you really want in your life?

I used to be afraid to get up and speak in public...until I did it. Then I did it again. Now, it's something I enjoy and do quite easily, although I still get nervous.

Today, I have a cautious respect for lightning but I'm not afraid of the storm.

Most fears are self-imposed. To overcome them, take just one step into the fear zone. You'll see it's not such a scary place after all.

What fears are holding you back from what you really want?