The difference between fear and doubt..

The difference between fear and doubt.

 

Contrary to popular thought, fear isn’t really what stops us from doing things we want to do. Fear is natural, a safety mechanism in nature that lets you know when to heighten your guard, pay closer attention, be aware. Give fear breath and it’s actually excitement – it’s healthy, even intoxicating. Fear releases adrenaline, which is a high energy compound, that creates instant action and motion. In short – fear has energy. It just needs to be channeled, directed.

No – fear is not what stops us. Fear gets us into motion.

What stops us is doubt. Doubt is the wet blanket over everything. The fog. Doubt is the bogeyman, the depression, the grayness, the emptiness between. Doubt is what actually stops you.

Deal with your DOUBT and you’ve got the battle won.

Look around you, at the people who are creating the lives they want. Know that they have endless fears to face down and move through. The bigger they become, the bigger the fear they have to move through. I often describe fear as the picket fence around the edge of our comfort zone…to grow and learn, we naturally have to move through fear. As a person stretches into new territory, there is always fear to some degree.

The difference is that they have handled their doubt.

Even the words look and feel different, don’t they? Fear has definite edge, it knows its boundaries. Doubt is a funny, strange amorphous word that leaks out energy and casts a pall on everything. It sneaks out and shows up when you least expect it, insinuating itself into chinks and spaces, so that all of a sudden you’re stopped and you don’t even really know why – except that you’ve become filled with the fog of doubt. It wraps around you, holds you in, saps your energy and dampens everything down so slowly that often you don’t even notice until it’s everywhere.

Fear is concentrated, and concentrating. There’s a specific, definitive object to be addressed.

Doubt is undefined, and it grows unseen and rapidly, like a cancer.

You can be a highly successful person, and still all of a sudden find yourself  in the fog of doubt…the higher you reach, the more likely you are to hit new doubts…it’s just a natural progression. Reach, doubt, move through, achieve, reach again. Doubt is often a part of the path, for anyone.

Make no mistake – doubt is what stops you. And doubt is a 100% self-created state. Nothing outside of you is creating your doubt. You are creating your own doubt through what you decide about yourself because of events that happen in your life.

Don’t let this get you down!! There is immense power in this understand. Being the one who created the doubt means that you can be the one who changes it – and you don’t even have to do it alone. There are amazing, specific, proven techniques that will lead you to handle your doubt and get back on track.

 

Come on, now – you must have some thought about this – share it with us, won't you? It's TOTALLY easy to post a comment below, and I would so love to hear your thoughts!


9 comments on “The difference between fear and doubt..

  • I'm intrigued to look at this.  On first read I don't fully agree or disagree.  Certainly they could show up and masquerade as each other sometimes.  Is it always doubt and never fear?
    I sure do like the empowerment of Being the one who created the doubt means that you can be the one who changes it.
     
    Yay that for sure!
     
    Here's to getting more clear and moving forward even more!

    Reply
  • I totally agree. I hate that evil grey nagging doubt. It stops me faster than fear. Fear is almost my friend as I know it well and can gage when I’m moving through something that needs to be dealt with. Doubt stops me cold. I know who I am and know why I am here but when doubt sneaks in it makes me question what I am doing down to my core. Release, release, release…trust, trust, trust…get back to the basics and move on…

    Reply
  • Scout, this is an interesting post. I've always considered fear as the thing that stops us. Maybe because that's what everyone always talks about, and we tend to adopt what we hear, if it makes sense. And the fear argument makes sense.
    I've never considered the idea that it could actually be doubt instead that's holding us back. I'm with Matthew – I'm not sure I agree or disagree at this point, but you've certainly given me something to think about. I will definitely consider this as things come up in the future that tend to stop me or my clients. Thanks for sharing such an intriguing post!

    Reply
  • Scout – Greatness! Loved the article and your perspective on these ideas. It parallels my personal experience perfectly! Also was thrilled that you threw in a bogeyman reference! Super cool.

    Reply
  • Scout,…Your right about the way the words look and feel,I never noticed it before,the word fear when said has that fearrrrrr like it has no end,and your posture changes.Dought when said has dough T has that sudden stopping motion.Well that's my thought on this.Great article very enlightning thanks
    Regards
    Charles

    Reply
  • Karen Jarrell says:

    WOW!  This is an eye-opening article that really resonated with me.    I never saw doubt as the insidious force it is until now.  I have called my doubt 'fear', and yet I'm not a fearful person.  I've struggled with doubt much of my life.  100% self-created.  Ouch.  Absolutely kicked me in the teeth.   And now I can see it as the smothering blanket it is, and once it is seen, I can choose NOT to go there.  Awesome words, Scout!  THANK YOU!    

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>