I now spend 50% my time writing, pondering, and showing people how to become the center of the universe. I spend the other 50% cleaning up animal poop. I guess I’m a farmer now, but most of all I’m farming dreams.

Feature: The Vital Message Hidden in Your Fear

TL;DR: Fear is always telling you one thing. It only thwarts you when you misinterpret the message.

The first time I hopped on a moving freight train,* I learned the meaning of the term “paralyzed with fear.” Every step I took towards that train felt like I was up to my chin in wet concrete.

I didn’t feel a rush of adrenaline. I felt weak like I was on the edge of collapsing. And that’s exactly what I wanted to do.

Instead, I followed the classic advice. I forced myself to be strong and overcome my fear.

I’m proud of what I did. I got on that train, and over the next 10 years or so I caught lots of freight trains “on the fly” without ever feeling the restricting grasp of fear.

But logic grounded in self-preservation says I never should have hopped onto a moving fucking train!

You see, fear is there to protect you and to guide you. It will help you if you listen to it. The trouble comes from interpreting fear the wrong way.

The Danger in Being Safe

About two years ago, I started working as a copywriter for the owner of a large company.

I had plenty of marketing ideas that would have been fun and over the top. I noticed opportunities where they could have created a new line of products, a new profit center, more clients.

But I was intimidated by this client, by the size of the company and the speed of their growth. I was afraid of writing something that would make them look bad. So I never said a word about my ideas. Instead, I stuck to traditional copywriting formulas.

The results were mediocre, at best.

Taking the safe, conventional approach is a good idea when you're filling out your tax returns or removing somebody's appendix.

But in real life, most of the time, by playing it safe you're just holding back your true, authentic self.

And that's the part of you that's going to make friends, attract lovers, build your career, and earn money.

After a few months, the client started using Jasper, and I was politely dismissed.

I had fallen for the universal fear of being judged. The fear that when you create something and have people look at it, your artwork or your writing, they’re going to say, “No, that sucks.”

Imposter syndrome is tied in with this fear. Shyness is connected to it. So are analysis paralysis and a lot of other mental blocks.

Why “Conquering Fear” Isn’t the Answer

Now, you’re probably thinking, “So it’s all about being brave and conquering my fears, right?”

Well, not exactly.

If you completely ignored and defied your fears, you would be absolutely uninhibited.

You would talk freely about your deepest, darkest, weirdest, creepiest personal thoughts and feelings. Then you would act upon them.

This would freak people out, and maybe get you arrested or killed. Nobody would want to eat, sleep, hang out, or do business with you.

So simply resisting your fear isn’t the solution to most problems.

Instead, listen to what fear is telling you. It’s usually telling you one thing:

Fear is a crystal-clear signal that you're in a situation that matters.

Fear says, “This audition is important. You care what people think about your idea. You want to be close with this person.”

Fear is a guide. It points to what’s important.

Fear is asking you, “Are just going to play it safe and be half-assed and mediocre and sleep your way through this?”

Fear is telling you, “This is it. Game time. Time to go big and do something exciting and amazing that's going to make a difference.”

Your job is to listen to that fear.

And when you hear it, grab the ball and run with it. Be authentic and be real and take some risks and be bold.

Tool of the Week: Interpreting Fear’s Message

1. Whenever you feel fear, acknowledge that this is an important moment.

2. Pay attention to what the fear makes you want to do.

3. Ask yourself what would happen if you did what the fear wants.

4. Think about what would happen if you did the opposite.

5. Thank fear for pointing out the importance of this moment. Then choose a course of action.

6. Carry out the action you’ve chosen, even if you’re afraid.

7. Believe and embrace the idea that you're meant for something bigger, something better, something greater than what you have right now. This is what fear is trying to tell you.