The Weekly Reframe: What is more important than fear
Supporting you to free your mind so you can live from your heart!
“Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the awareness that there’s something more important.”
— Stephen Covey
It’s completely normal to feel fear when you're stepping into something new, different, or extraordinary. If you find yourself feeling consistently unhappy, that may be your soul’s way of knocking, letting you know that change is needed.
Often just the thought of change brings up fear. Especially fear of uncertainty. The brain craves certainty in an uncertain world, and will often keep us stuck, waiting for external conditions to change first. But what the brain doesn’t understand is that unless we move forward despite uncertainty, those conditions will never change.
Courage is a state of being. To be courageous is to know that fear will arise, and still choose to stay aligned with what truly matters to you. It means continuously discerning what is most important, what your values are, and moving in that direction, even when fear shows up.
The skill here is not eliminating fear, but learning to notice and acknowledge it without becoming it. Rather than suppress it or let it define us, we can shift our focus toward what matters more than that fear.
Here's an example from my own life:
The older I get, the less I enjoy flying. My brain likes to sound the alarm at takeoff: “This plane is going to malfunction. We’re going down.” Any turbulence feels like a sign that death is imminent. As you can imagine, flying has become incredibly stressful for me.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend my nephew’s baptism in Mexico. Flying there brought up all the usual fear, but this time, I reminded myself of what was more important: being a loving family member, supporting my brother and his baby, and creating unforgettable memories together.
It seems like a simple decision, but fear is incredibly persuasive. It could have easily convinced me to stay home and wait to see them later. Instead, I chose to acknowledge the fear without giving it power. I kept affirming that I was willing to be a loving and present aunt by being there with my family. And you know what? It was an incredible trip. And now I'm not carrying the regret of letting fear win.
The fear didn’t go away. I still did all my weird takeoff rituals: crossing my fingers, deep breathing, and quietly counting under my breath. (I got past 1,000!) But the fear got quieter, because I kept choosing to focus on what was more important.
So here’s a question for you: Is there an area in your life where fear is active and trying to hold you back? Can you create the awareness that something else, something aligned with your values, is more important than that fear?
Step By Step,
Jessie