FEEL THE FEAR AND DIE ANYWAY!!!

“Feel the fear and do it anyway”-Quote

The first time I heard that statement was when I was experiencing some disillusionment in my life. I had sought advice from my mentor Coach Phil of Intelligent Performance. He listened to me keenly like he always does. He however was very blunt. “Lawrence, you just have to feel the fear and do it anyway”. I had gone for solace. I had gone for understanding. I was afraid. I was terribly scared. Scared of what will become of me. Scared because the life that I had known up to about then was threatened with…guess what? Change!

Needless to say, there was not so much that Coach Phil could do. It was incumbent upon me to take the necessary steps, face my fear squarely and ADJUST. I didn’t. And that is why I am writing this post today.

Let me change the story here a little bit. Most Christians in East Africa and in London would most probably know a guy called Dr. Cecil Stewart O.B.E. He is an evangelist. The reason as to why I bring him here is that for the life of me, I always thought that O.B.E. was an acronym for Out Of Body Experience, I kid you not! Anyway, a couple of years ago, I was attending a church service that was extremely emotional.  A testimony was being given by a church member who had fallen sick, admitted, went in shock (medical term for loss of lots blood), and basically had an OBE. 

To be able to understand the medical implications of the OBE, a medical doctor was brought the podium. Of course he did a good job explaining what ‘Shock’ means. However, he went a step ahead to tell us that he sees people die day in and day out. What he said forms the basis of this post today. He said that there are two types of people at the death bed. First there are those who are totally at peace and at ease, sometimes even with a smile on their faces. Then, there are those who are frantic, fighting death like a man fighting bees. They are blinking in terror. They are eternally scared, horrified, terrified. You can see it in their eyes. Regret. Knowledge that ‘this is it’…and yes, you can most vividly see FEAR.

It is always good to transport ourselves there to that death bed. When our OBE moment comes, is it going to take us away from this world for good, or is going to give us a second chance like it did to Joel Chola? Of course we have no control over that question. The most important question we need to ask is this. What camp do I belong to? Statistics show that one out of one will one day die. So, at the moment of death, can I say like someone said centuries back, “I have run the race, I have finished the fight…therefore awaits me a crown”? Or am I as scared as hell? (Excuse the language). I am peaceful, cool, calm, and collected or am I scared to death?

Facing this fear RIGHT NOW is extremely critical. Like I said earlier, when Coach Phil told me to feel it and do it anyway, I didn’t. This is the crux of this post. We feel our fears yet we do not do what we need to do. We pamper ourselves. We ‘mirage’. We postpone. We retreat into the comfort zone. We assume that somehow, miraculously, the fear will disappear. We do a thorough job to explain it away. Here is the thing: we do not now the turn of events for sure, whether we stepped out in fear to do what we ought to do or whether we sat back in the all familiar surrounding whose very existence is being threatened. Way to go? Step out despite of the fear.

Listen. You either face that fear RIGHT NOW…and deal with it. Feel it and do what you are supposed to do anyway. At the end of the day, when you are facing your OBE, this fear will already have been dealt with. You will be peaceful, smiling, and confident that you are going EMPTY. You knew what you were meant to do, you led and lived a beautiful life and you have no regrets. You have no Fear.

My challenge today is for romance. It is time we accepted first off that there is no straight line in life. Nothing is perfect. It is time we made a life-long romance with all our fears. It is time to fall in love with all the challenges, fears and obstacles that seek to overwhelm us, for in my opinion, they are the shortcuts we need to live, love and matter. Feel the fear and DIE NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not when am through with high school. Not when I have just gotten me a wife. Not when the kids are out of school. Not when I get a pay raise. Not when I get the Degree. Not when my wife stops giving birth. Not when my wife starts giving birth. Not when I get a job. Not when I get a better job. Feel the fear RIGHT NOW and DO IT ANYWAY!

However, if you postpone and ‘mirage’, eventually you cannot cheat on the OBE test. You will have to face the fear…however, the only doing it anyway at this point in time is to face eternity. Full of regret, sorrow. Terrified and scared to death (pun intended).

I beg to end with this small poem from Ron White:

Once I get out of high school I am going to see the world and travel…

Once I finish college I am going to see the world and travel…

Once I get married I am going to travel with my spouse…

After our kids are older we are going to see the world and travel…

When our kids get out of high school we are going to see the world and travel…

As soon as we retire we are going to see the world and travel…

Now, I am out of school, the kids are gone and I am retired; if I was younger and my health was better I would see the world and travel…

Don’t wait…