5 Ways To Turn Fear Into Fuel
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jonathan Fields, author of Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel for Brilliance.
[1] Uncertainty. It’s a terrifying word.
Living with it, dangling over your head like the sword of Damocles, day ∈ day out, is enough to send
anyone spiraling into a state of anxiety, fear and paralysis.
Like it or not, though, uncertainty is the new normal. We live ∈a time where the world is ∈a state of
[5] constant, long-term flux. And, that’s not all. If you want to spend your time on the planet not just getting-by, but
consistently creating art, experiences, businesses and lives that truly matter, you’ll need to proactively seek
out, invite and even deliberately amplify uncertainty. Because the other side of uncertainty is opportunity.
Nothing great was ever created by waiting around for someone to tell you it’s all going to be okay or for
perfect information to drop from the sky. Doesn’t happen that way. Great work requires you to act ∈ the face of
[10] uncertainty, to live ∈ the question long enough for your true potential to emerge. There is no alternative.
When you find the strength to act ∈ the face of uncertainty, you till the soil of genius.
Problem is, that kills most people. It leads to unease, anxiety, fear and doubt on a level that snuffs out
most genuinely meaningful and potentially revolutionary endeavors before they even see the light of day. Not
because they wouldn’t have succeeded, but because you never equipped yourself to handle and even
[15] harness the emotional energy of the journey.
But, what if it didn’t have to be that way?
What if there was a way to turn the fear, anxiety and self-doubt that rides along with acting ∈ the face of
uncertainty—the head-to-toe butterflies—into fuel for brilliance?
Turns out, there is. Your ability to lean into the unknown isn’t so much about luck or genetics, rather it’s
[20] something entirely trainable. I’ve spent the past few years interviewing world-class creators across a wide
range of fields and pouring over research that spans neuroscience, decision-theory, psychology, creativity and
business.
Through this work, a collection of patterns, practices and strategies have emerged that not only
turbocharge insight, creativity, innovation and problem-solving, but also help ameliorate so much of the
suffering so often associated with the pursuit of any creative quest.
Fonte: http://zenhabits.net/fearfuel. Acesso em 07/12/2011. Texto adaptado.
No contexto em que se insere, a afirmação “turns out, there is” (linha 21) pode ser entendida como:
