From My Newsletter, The Business of Being You

Sometimes we get stuck in an emotion from patterns in our everyday life. Fear is one emotion that will keep us stuck if we do not move through it.

F — Following

E — Emotion

A — Above

R — Reasoning

Fear, often so deeply rooted we have no idea where it even stems from. When did it start? Was it passed down from our parents? How much have we picked up along the way from either experience or exposure? Do we recognize it when it crops up, how it shapes our decisions and our actions.

As I move forward in my own life, I find myself facing a tremendous amount of fear. Just attempting to get care in this area has been difficult and actually quite dangerous. Some forms of abuse are so ingrained and practiced for so long that they are a part of the system itself. I am not the only one struggling to manage care in this area. I have been a patient my entire life and I have never seen anything like what I am dealing with now. So, yes it scares me, but it doesn’t still me in any way. My time on this planet is running out so I am reaching outside of my comfort zone and doing something about my current situation. But still, try as I may, I fall victim to fearful thoughts. Allowing it to take up far too much time in my everyday life, my health, and the quiet space in my head. Loss of sleep is often due to fear — thoughts repeating themselves when all you want to do is shut them off, to not worry.

Fear follows emotion above reasoning.

I saw a woman today on social media conquering her fear of public speaking. She said if you push yourself for a very short amount of time, just a little each day, you can conquer your fear. She set up her camera in various fast-food establishments and simply started speaking to anyone who would listen, all for her life betterment. She was uncomfortable but she did it anyway.

Repetitive action and getting used to something really is effective.

Repetitive thoughts however, just get in the way, If I could just lose that weight… Get that promotion… Come up with that great idea…you know how it goes. The time to act is now and staring down fear this weekend is what we are going to do.

We fear what we know and what we don’t know — the seen and the unseen.

The Bible tells us specifically not to fear, to walk in faith. However, our everyday world continually tells us to be very, very afraid. We are bombarded with fear-based ads, social media, and news clips all day long, algorithms designed to make you feel afraid.

So how do you conquer it?

Is it one hurdle at a time, or do you develop a whole new view of your life and choose not to be afraid?

Perhaps life is a trip — a vacation for the soul. We come here to learn, and if that is all we are doing then what are we even afraid of? Unfortunately we learn fear early on and it becomes a part of us. Can we unlearn fear now so we may move forward more freely?

Take a look at what is causing fear and how it prevents us from our dream life. We take precautionary steps and call it careful planning, yet sometimes getting caught up in planning itself becomes a form of fear. Never really ready. Always researching. Always preparing.

The time is now. The time was yesterday.

There is no perfect pitch and no perfect plan. Life doesn’t work that way. You jump from where you are.

We are in school here — the school of life — learning for an eternity beyond our physical selves. Perhaps we come here again and again simply to learn. If that is the case, then again I ask you why fear?

If we are just here to learn, then let’s learn.

Who didn’t notice the carefree way Alysa Liu skated her way to a gold medal? What was that? She was having fun. No fear. Fully in the moment, enjoying life. She attributed it to her psychology studies. Control of the mind is truly a great skill.

So how do we bring that into the rest of our days?

Learning more about what we are afraid of is one of the greatest ways to become less fearful. Think of all the times you went over a scenario in your head again and again only to have none of it transpire. A little research goes a long way here.

So what do we do?

We start.

Stand up and do it with no worry, because it doesn’t really matter how it goes. You are here to learn. There is nothing to fear. Remember there are other avenues to take in any given situation so start investigating what they are. Investigate the people or places you are fearful of, maybe there is a good reason for it. We are energy beings and we sometimes pick up on bad stuff out there and arming ourselves with knowledge really is beneficial. Know thy enemy if you will.

“So do not fear, for I am with you.”

In the end, you will regret what you didn’t do out of fear — not what you protected yourself from. So let’s give it a real go this weekend, let’s give ourselves a chance at a better calmer existence. I am with you on this journey and I am rooting for you. I know you can do it!

Action Plan: The 48-Hour Protocol

Fear doesn’t disappear through thinking. It dissolves through movement.

Hours 1–12: Define and Externalize

Write It Down Use pen and paper to name your fear. Vague anxiety is often scarier than reality.

Fear-Setting Ask yourself: What is the absolute worst that could happen? Once defined, identify simple steps to salvage the situation if it occurs — a method often discussed by author Tim Ferriss.

Identify the Core Clarify exactly what you are afraid of. “I am fearful because…” “I am resentful because…”

Naming fear reduces its power.

Hours 13–36: Physical and Mental Intervention

Change Your Physiology When fear hits, adopt a confident posture. Chest out. Shoulders back. Breathe deeply. Your body teaches your mind safety.

Visualize Success Instead of imagining the worst outcome, visualize the positive result you desire.

Practice Self-Compassion Healing takes time. If you aren’t healed today, tomorrow is another opportunity.

Hours 37–48: Take Action

Do It Scared You do not need to wait for fear to disappear. Take the smallest possible step toward the thing you fear.

Seek Support If fear feels overwhelming, reach out to a trusted person or a professional.

Acknowledge Progress Give yourself credit for moving forward — even if you are still nervous.

Key Concepts for Persistence

Courage is Faith in Action Proceeding despite fear is the essence of courage.

Consistency Regularly approaching your fear decreases its power over you.

Maybe the goal was never to eliminate fear, pain, or uncertainty. Maybe the goal was simply to keep moving through it.

None of us truly knows what we are doing — we are learning as we live. And somehow, that is enough.

Until next time — Walk forward anyway.

Sincerely, Marelle Couture

The Business of Being You — reflections on creativity, resilience, and living authentically.