On Thursday, during the second #joychat (a twitter chat for creative entrepreneurs hosted by Sera Bishop and myself), we delved deep in to questions that shed light on the path to moving toward our visions. We started out with a moment to envision our dreams, to feel them, to bathe in them, and even to pretend that we had already achieved our goals. Then we asked ourselves,

“What is standing in my way?”

Reality check! What a rude awakening to a blissful dream. Why ask that question when we were floating around so nicely in our happy thoughts?

I Feel Like A Super Today by Helen Dardik

I Feel Like A Super Today by Helen Dardik

Here’s why: Each and every one of us who has not accomplished our goals has something holding us back. And the answer that most people gave…? Themselves! I’m here to tell you from  my own experience that this is absolutely true for me. The question was meant to shine a big, bright light on that little voice inside our heads that says, “I can’t do that,” “I’m not enough,” “What if I don’t?” and make it run for cover.

Take this as an example. I have been trying to make you all a video for some time now. But although I have this vision of making a fun and personable video for you, I’m afraid. I want to create the video because I want you to get to know me, and I want to connect with you in a way that only seeing my face, my mannerisms, and my language will accomplish. But when I begin creating the video, I knit-pick, freeze-up, and feel silly.  I’m afraid of what you will think when you see me. But guess what? I’m going to do it anyway! Why? Because I know that by facing my fear head-on, it will no longer have control over me. I know that once I release that video to the world, I will be confronting my vulnerabilities and my imperfections.

I’m pinpointing my fear so that I can knock it out cold and move past it.

If we ignore our fears, we never have a chance to move past them. When we expose our fears, we take away their power and free-up our energy to overcome them once and for all.  This puts fear in a whole new light:  Rather than seeing it as something negative that holds us back, it becomes a tool that aids us in our personal growth. And that is why I’m going to create a video.

I realized something else today, too:  We are all vulnerable. We all have doubts and fears. But those vulnerabilities allow us to be human, and they also allow us to connect. In some strange way, when I see that someone else is not perfect, it is easier to be okay with my imperfections too.

So here’s to imperfections! To vulnerability! To fear!

And here’s to squashing it square in the face!