Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway

Feel_the_Fear_Book_Cover2One of the most ironic things to happen to me recently, was when I was asked by Worldwide ERC® to review a book for their April issue of MOBILITY Magazine.  This was for a special section that they are calling, “Member Picks: Books That Make Us Better.”

So, why is this so ironic, you ask?  It’s simple, I am not a reader! I have never been a reader! Don’t get me wrong, I have bought tons of books over the years, and downloaded samples of many more, but when it gets down to it, I just don’t have the attention span for reading an entire book. My mind wanders. I guess you could say that I start a lot of books, but I rarely finish any of them.

But, when this particular opportunity presented itself from Worldwide ERC®, I instantly agreed to do it.  That’s because I knew exactly which book I was going to review and why.

The book was, “Feel the Fear…And Do It Anyway,” by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.  Not only was it one of the few books that I had actually read in recent years, but it was one in which the title alone had affected many fundamental changes in me. Reading that book had come at a very pivotal time for me, and changed many of my personal and professional strategies and philosophies.

The words, “Feel the Fear…And Do It Anyway,” say that anything is possible, and that it is OK to feel scared, but that feeling scared should never stop you from doing anything. It’s about hitting challenges head-on, and using your fear as a motivator for building personal strength. It’s a practice that I have adopted in all areas of my life, and one that works very well for me.

I am hoping that you may find a few take-aways from my book review, and that you might even consider reading the book for yourself.

The format of the book review was question and answers, which appear below:

"Feel the Fear...And Do It Anyway" - Reviewed by Michelle Sandlin

“Feel the Fear…And Do It Anyway” – Reviewed by Michelle Sandlin

MOBILITY:  The author of the book you chose describes fear as “crippling” and says it is often rooted in uncertainty about change and lack of a strong self-image. You seem like such a confident, flexible person—what made you want to read this book?

MICHELLE SANDLIN:  Yes, I am a confident person now, but I wasn’t always. Several years ago I found myself at a critical crossroads in my career. I needed to make a change, and as much as I knew that this change was necessary, I agonized and struggled over it for months before finally pulling the trigger. It was definitely the fear of uncertainty more than the fear of change itself that was crippling to me at the time. Even as I felt the fear, I knew I had to do it anyway, and so I did. Shortly thereafter, I was given a copy of this book. It was serendipity. I had to read it.

MOBILITY:  Give us a crash course on the plan for action the book outlines that can help readers unlearn their misconceptions about fear and replace them with strength and conviction.

Michelle Sandlin:  The book explores the barriers that hold us back and the common fears that stand in the way of achieving our goals. The author says that by shifting our thinking, we can transform our lives. It’s really about empowering yourself and boosting your confidence level through positive thinking, which really isn’t anything new. It’s mind over matter. Fear is about taking us out of our comfort zone and the feeling of empowerment we gain in doing so. The idea is that each time you do something that is outside of your comfort zone, you become more powerful, and as your power builds, so does your level of self-confidence. Thus, each time you step out of your comfort zone, you are building more self-confidence, which causes the fear to diminish.

MOBILITY:  What’s the one best lesson you learned from this resource?

Michelle Sandlin:  I have learned how truly empowering it really is to feel the fear and do it anyway. I never let fear stand in my way of doing anything anymore. I see it as a challenge and hit it head-on. I want to have the power over my fears and not the other way around. As the book says, “All you have to do to diminish your fear is to develop more trust in your ability to handle whatever comes your way.”

MOBILITY:  If you wrote a business book, how would you title it?

Michelle Sandlin:  That’s an easy one! It would be called How to Create Rock Star Moments. One thing that I have learned is that you don’t have to be a rock star to have rock star moments. I actually write about this all the time, and the idea of being a rock star in whatever it is that you do is ingrained in my personality. This is a book I am writing every day; it’s how I live my life!

Reprinted with permission from the April 2013 Issue of MOBILITY, published by Worldwide ERC®

For a link to the full article, please click here:  Michelle Sandlin – Books that Make us Better.

6 Comments

  1. Michelle,

    It was a pleasure to meet you. I would like to read the book “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway.” I will let you know what I think! Take care and maybe I will run in to you at one of the Internations events in the future.

    Regards,

    Eric

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *