We are preparing for a Hurricane here in Florida. A big one. Now, I'm a mountain girl, and the whole concept of preparing for an act of God to potentially wipe you off the map is slightly intimidating to me. In fact it's absolutely terrifying! There is a pervasive feeling in the air, as ethereal and icky as a spiderweb that you accidentally stepped into, or an itch you can't scratch: Fear.

We don't typically get many opportunities to experience real 'fear' in our first world lives (thankfully). However, when we do, those experiences have a lot they can teach us (yes, I'm trying to shift my mind to think about Irma as a 'teaching moment', and not Armageddon!)

Because the thing about fear is; it really doesn't care if it stops you dead in your tracks, or if you plow on right through it.

Fear is just a state of mind where you allow your uncertainty to paralyze you. And the only one who can control your 'fear response' is you!

You can't typically change the circumstances around the thing that is making you fearful, however you also don't have to let it derail your normal thought patterns and habits either.

This is clearly highlighted in extreme circumstances, but we should bear it in mind in our daily lives, and our in our careers as well.

Fear will only take up as much space in our psyches as we allow it to have.

This could be fear to launch a new project because you don't know if you can be successful. Fear of putting yourself out there for a promotion because you don't know if you will be chosen. Fear of changing professions for fear of failing.

The reality is, the fear is going to be there, no matter what we do. The difference is in what we choose to do in spite of it!

Sometimes you have to just pull yourself together, refocus your energy and push directly ahead. You have to literally plow right through (and past) your fear to get where you want to go.

The hurricane is coming here no matter whether I am scared of it or not. So that leaves me with the choice of preparing and taking care of things as best I can to stay, or else making the decision to evacuate and then doing so. Both actions acknowledge my fear and move me forward. I'm not going to argue the merits of one choice over the other, as that is deeply personal for each person and their situation. However, one this is for certain. There is no option to stay stuck and do nothing. That would be crazy!

It's no different in the 'little moment's of life! Acknowledge your fear, whatever it is, and make the choice to move forward regardless.

Because your forward movement is something you can always control!

It may not feel like it at the time, and there may be other obstacles you are navigating (staffing challenges, financial challenges, personal challenges), but despite any obstacles that may lie in your path to forward action, you can always take a solid step forward in the face of your fear.

Our biggest obstacles come from inside our own heads—not outside annoyances or distractions.- Michael Hyatt

It's usually our own minds that anchor us to inaction. Fear is powerful, and we are designed to survive! Fight or flight is in our DNA, and facing fear in a determined and thoughtful manner is contrary to both!

There is quite literally a 'calm before the storm', a point in which you have made your choices, you have prepared, and you have committed to your action. Now you have to wait and see what happens. And yes, that is indeed scary. But, having made the determined choices to get where you are, having prepared and done everything you can to be successful, that storm is going to come, it's going to do its worst, and you are going to continue to move forward. Because you have decided and committed to doing so!

Fear doesn't care if you are scared. So don't indulge it by giving it a home in your heart and mind that it doesn't deserve.

Fear is an unwelcome house guest that leaves dirty dishes and eats all your good food. Don't let it into your home.

You have better things to do than give into Fear. Move forward. Plow ahead. Make your choices,  and trust yourself to push through your fear. No matter how is scary it feels in the moment, the storm will always pass!