It’s time for the Joy Dieters book group to work on Chapter Five of The Joy Diet, by Martha Beck.. This week’s topic is RISK. Martha writes:
“Experience has taught me that the way to a joyful life is always fraught with fear, that to find it you must follow your heart’s desires right through the inevitable terrors that arise to hold you back. If you don’t do this, your life will be shaped by fear, rather than love, and I guarantee, the shape will be narrow and tiny compared with your best destiny.“
Before I left my last corporate job three and a half years ago, I was afraid that I might not make enough money at coaching and would have to try something else. Guess what? I still worry about that. But it’s three and a half years later, and I’m still a coach with her own business.
Fear’s definitely a companion in my everyday life, but I recognize it for what it is – a motivator, and just a feeling. I don’t think I’ll die from feeling fear. Had I stayed in my corporate job, my life would have been a lot less interesting and I would have missed out on a lot of growth.
As one of Martha’s clients says, “How could I possibly lose as much by trying as I did by refusing to try? What’s safe about not being who you were meant to be?” Yup, I can totally relate!
What aren’t you trying?
