It's Not Difficult, You're Scared

Hey readers 👋

One thing we all do is that we often confuse difficulty with fear. We convince ourselves that something is “difficult” when it’s actually fear that is holding us back.

For example, people often say “public speaking is very difficult”.

Thinking about this rationally, there’s nothing inherently difficult about standing on a stage and talking. Talking is something we do every single day.

We don’t find it difficult speaking to a handful of close friends and family. Speaking only becomes “difficult” as the size of our audience grows, and our familiarity with the faces in the audience diminishes.

On reflection, it’s not the fact that public speaking is difficult that worries us, it’s the fear that’s holding us back.

• Fear that we may screw up.
• Fear that we may not be taken seriously.
• Fear that we may be discounted by the audience.
• Fear that we may not know what we’re talking about.
• Fear that we didn’t prepare enough.

The list goes on and on.

Fear is dangerous because it often prevents us from getting started in the first place.

So the next time you instinctively catch yourself complaining that something is “difficult”, try to understand whether it’s just fear holding you back.

We can always work on our fears, but we can’t always make something that’s already easy any easier.

Stop confusing difficulty with fear.

Have an awesome week 🤩

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This Week's Wisdom

“You may live in the world as it is, but you can still work to create the world as it should be.”

- Michelle Obama, in the book: Becoming,

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