Fear, the Two-Edged Sword: In Spite Of or Because Of?

Author: Earlyn Sharpe, M.A.

Giving Up Is Not An Option!

Fear has the power to paralyze, but it also has the power to propel. The difference lies in how you hold it. Fear can shrink you into silence, or it can sharpen you into action. It can keep you chained to the familiar or push you to walk boldly into the unknown.

Every breakthrough in your life will demand that you face fear. Not once, but over and over. But here's the beauty: when you learn to work with fear, you no longer run from it—you run with it.

Fear is one of those emotions that is often misunderstood. For some people, fear can be a paralyzing force, keeping us small, silent, and stuck. But in other cases, fear can be transformed into fuel that causes us to build a thicker skin and take the action necessary to create change.

Fear: The Two-Edged Sword

Fear can cut both ways. It can hold us back, or it can push us forward. It all depends on how we work with it. When fear is not recognized for the vital information that it is, it can often become a self-perpetuating source of self-doubt, avoidance, anxiety and inertia.

The Positive Edge of Fear

But fear has another, more powerful edge. This is the cutting edge—the part of fear that acts as an ally that can propel us forward to deeper growth, greater action and lasting change.

Think about fear in your own life. It is often the very things that we are most afraid of that are the place where our biggest growth lies. It is these places where courage is needed, where we can learn the most.

Working With Fear

Fear is a double-edged sword. It is when we don't work with the constructive side of fear that things get out of balance and we become stuck in the fear itself.

In its positive aspect, fear can serve as a "bull's eye." It pinpoints the places in our lives that we care about the most. It shows us what we value and what is truly important to us.

There is a straightforward exercise that you can use to work with fear.

Name It to Tame It

One of the first things that you can do is to identify and write down your fear. By naming the fear, it loses its power and hold over you, allowing you to begin to understand it.

Shift the Fear Perspective

Ask yourself the question "what if I grow?" instead of focusing on what if I fail."

The Micro-Action

Courage does not mean we don't feel fear; it means we are not controlled by it. Courage comes from moving forward and taking small steps despite our fear.

Fear of loss and pain point the way to where growth is needed and where courage is needed. But when fear is not acknowledged for the vital information that it is, it becomes an endless circle of self-doubt, avoidance, anxiety and inertia.

The good news is that we can learn to work with the constructive side of fear so that we can live with more growth, greater action and lasting change.

Fear, Growth and Grace

Fear can be a two-edged sword. The choice is ours: will we let it hold us back, or will we allow it to push us forward and expand our grace?

Fear is something that we will all have to deal with throughout our lives. The choice is ours: will we allow it to paralyze us, or will we move through it with courage and a will to grow?

The next time fear shows up in your life, ask yourself if you are being held back by it or growing in spite of it. The answer may just tell you not only where you are right now, but also where you are meant to go.

Reflection: Where is fear holding you back, and where might it be trying to push you forward?

Want to Dive Deeper?

If this article resonated with you, I’ll dive into this topic more from a personal place on my Sip & Heal: Tea and Therapy Talks podcast.

Listen to the episode here: http://bit.ly/45vdH23 or on your favourite podcast carrier.