Zoë has guts! Anyone else going through her current health conditions would be overcome by fear. Not Zoë Nutt. She’s decided not to let the anxiety take control of her life. All of us can learn a lesson from this lady, was my thoughts as I heard this talented, rising musician talk about the possibility of total deafness from her progressive, degenerative hearing loss.
I wondered how this talented, beautiful young woman could face an uncertain future with such courage. Any performer who’s wondering if they’re good enough to hit it big can learn from Zoë’s courage. Anyone struggling with self-esteem issues needs to take out a pencil and paper and jot down a couple of powerful thoughts about how to be unbeatable in the face of a medical condition that’s out of your control. Ultimately, I hope you’ll hear loud and clear her challenge to put fear back in its proper place.
“What you feed, is what grows.”
This quote is true of fear, just like it’s true of the crops in a farmer’s field. If you’ve been feeding your fears lately and they’re starting to take control over your life, here are three simple suggestions on how to starve your fears about the future. It’s my simple recipe to take control of your fears this year:
Let go of what’s out of your control
We stress out about what we cannot see. Most of our concerns are based on circumstances that might happen in the future. Anxiety about the future is wasted energy! No amount of staying up late at night or stressing about the future can stop those circumstances from occurring.
Zoë could spend the rest of her life worrying that she will wake up tomorrow totally deaf. No amount of worry can change her medical diagnosis if that happens to her. That’s why she made the decision not to let fear of the future control her.
Do yourself and everyone around you a favor, and stop worrying about things that might happen in the future. The future is out of your control. Rather, spend your time and effort on the things that are within your control, and you’ll find you have much less fear to wrestle with.
Handle hardships head on
I’ve got some bad news for you… Bad things are going to happen to you in the future. There’s absolutely nothing you nor I can do to stop those bad things from happening. You can’t outrun difficulties. There are some problems in life that you can’t avoid. Follow Zoë’s example… don’t run from difficulties! Face your hardships head on!
Running from your challenges in life doesn’t make them go away. It just prolongs the inevitable. Choosing to stop running and standing your ground in the middle of challenges is what it means to live an unbeatable life.
Be ready to reach out
Because we all face challenges in life and because some challenges are unavoidable, all of us will have moments when we need another’s help. Be quick to reach out when you need a helping hand. Some of life’s challenges must be handled as a team. The quicker you reach out for help, the sooner you can put a team together to get you over your greatest obstacles.
Don’t wait. Reach out as soon as you realize you need help. I’ve lost count of the number of people I know who tried to handle their greatest challenges in life on their own. By refusing to reach out, these obstacles took much longer to overcome.
We should all follow Zoë’s path to facing an uncertain future about her hearing. She doesn’t try to control her hearing; she gets up each day and faces what that day sends her way. Zoë also doesn’t hide her hearing loss. By facing it head on, she’s turned a weakness into a strength. And finally, she reaches out as soon as she needs help. That’s a great plan to face your fears over an uncertain future!
