Fear And The Working Writer

Fear stops people more than all external obstacles combined. A great goal this week might be to examine the ways that’s true. In the Hero’s Journey, it first manifests in “refusing the challenge.” But WHY do we refuse? If it is true that all living things move away from pain toward pleasure, then why won’t we do the things that will help us find joy in life?

I recently told a lady who expressed concern about a lack of structure in her life to start with the Five Minute Miracle (sixty seconds of deep slow diaphragmatic breathing every 1–3 hours). She had a variety of emotional responses, including the feeling that I was deliberately avoiding her question, when the truth was that I was SPECIFICALLY AND PRECISELY answering her question. It just wasn’t the answer she wanted.

A week later, she sent me the following note: “To get over my sense of shame I’m reporting that Monday I failed about 4 times to execute the first instruction. Within an hour of our last messages I had my first major emotional breakdown in a long, long time. Crying turned to sobbing that I couldn’t stop or opted to embrace and go Full Catharsis on.”

Do you note that the suggestion of the 5MM was a two-pronged response?

First, If you can do it, you reduce stress, gain clarity, and impose structure all at the same time.

Second, if you CAN’T do it, you have flipped over a flat rock to see what comes crawling out. Exposed one of the demons that have gnawed at your life for years or decades. Because…