Taking action despite fear

The speaker discusses the topic of stepping out in faith and dealing with fear. They share five things that have helped them take steps despite feeling afraid. They emphasize that it's okay to feel fear and that fear is a normal part of life when embarking on something new. They encourage listeners to understand that every success comes with obstacles and that conquering fear is necessary for success. The speaker shares their personal experience of making a difficult decision and taking a step of faith. They emphasize the importance of taking action and not letting fear hold you back. They also discuss the need to take risks and not try to figure everything out before taking a step. The speaker concludes by encouraging listeners to turn their dreams into reality by taking action steps and not being afraid of the fear that comes with it. Ngoziwa ni wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanaf wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi wanafanyi w So today we will be discussing an interesting topic and that is stepping out in faith. We want to highlight how we can deal with fear and how we can take steps irrespective of the fear we feel. So I will be talking about 5 things that have helped me to go through transition seasons where I had to take decisions despite the fact that I was afraid of the decisions I was about to make. Stay tuned. You all come back so let's get right in to discussing the things you need to understand with regards to living through fear and taking action steps. First, I had to come to an understanding that it's okay to feel fear. It's okay to be afraid. There is a common definition of fear which is false evidence appearing real. That made me understand that irrespective of my fear, fear doesn't really mean that that's the real thing. Fear is a feeling so it is okay to feel fear. It's okay to be afraid. In fact, fear is a normal part of life. It's a normal part of life. Fear is what you feel when you are about to experience something new and something that you have never been through or you have never embarked on before. So it's a normal experience that you have to go through to be able to normalize what you are about to do or what step you are about to take. So you need to come to that understanding that it's alright to feel fear. The fact that you are afraid doesn't make you abnormal. But one thing you need to understand is that despite the fear you feel, what will be a disadvantage to you is if you decide to stay stagnant because of the fear you feel, if you decide not to take a step because of the fear you feel. So that leads us to the next understanding that has helped me through every period where I had to take a step of faith. You need to understand that every greatness or success will always bring an obstacle your way. Every greatness. Before you can succeed in an endeavor, there is an obstacle you must encounter and that you have to face. And what's the natural response to an unfamiliar situation or an obstacle? It's fear. But when you remember that if at all I want to succeed in this endeavor or if at all I want to be able to take the step into this new journey that I'm not used to, the only way I can succeed is if I conquer the fear that I feel on the inside. I remember when there was a season of my life where I was apart from my family. We were not together because of the job I was doing. I got a job outside our location. So that demanded that season. There was a distance marriage. My husband was in a different location than I was in. And during that period, I now got pregnant with our second child. The stress, the burden, the pressure of having to be pregnant and be alone with a child that I was taking care of a toddler. Shortly I became pregnant with our second child. I didn't really have the help and the support that I needed in that season. And by the time I assessed everything, the job I was doing, how much I was earning, with the effect of the distance in our marriage, my son, which is my first child, at that point needed the father figure, the constant father figure in his life. And I also needed physical support, emotional support. It was heart-wrenching that period. And I came to a conclusion that I needed to go back. Me and my husband needed to be together. But now, the fear of, I've always been used to working. I've always been used to earning an income. And the challenge of also having to run a family on just one income, that was one fear I felt. If I go back, how easy will it be for me to get a job? How long will I have to stay without a job? And we have to run the family on one income. And those fears began to come up and I began to assess. But I had to come to that point where I had to weigh the pros and the cons. And I had to take a step. The thing about fear is, when you have minimal options, fear creeps in. If it's that you have multiple options or you have backup plans, you will know that, okay, if I try this, I fail, I have another option. But one thing you need to understand, which takes me to the third point, is that it's better to take a step and fail than not to take a step at all. Even when you have minimal options before you and you're like, what if I take this step and it doesn't work out, what next? You can stay in that position of stagnation and try to figure it all out. And at the end, you find out that time, which is of the essence, it's going. Opportunities which may be before you, you will not be able to meet those opportunities because you are in one position. You are in one position. If you remember the story of how, when Jesus walked on water and he told Peter to come up, that story would have not been in history if Peter never took that step. He would not have known what was on the other side of that step. You remain stagnated in your thoughts, in your mindset, in your progression. You will notice that your progress in life will be slower because you are afraid of taking bold steps. And for you to succeed and excel and fulfill your dreams as a woman, you must be willing to take risks. You must be willing to take steps, action steps, irrespective of the fear you feel. Remember, the goal is not to feel fear. The aim is, oh no, I don't want to be afraid. No, it's okay. Be afraid. But don't let your fear keep you from taking the needed steps you need to take. So, like I was saying in my story, I had to decide that my family being together was more important than me being apart. And it was even more cost effective financially being together than being apart. Because shortly after, the cost of airfares increased. So the amount I would spend on airfares, and then I was going at least every month, traveling every month because initially the cost of airfares were affordable, we could accommodate that. But the moment the airfares increased, that was another reason to reevaluate the situation. And I decided I'm going back to be with my husband, to be together as a family. Job or no job offer, I'm willing to take that step of faith. I started applying for jobs even before I went back. I told myself, once I'm going for my maternity leave, I'm not coming back. And as God will have it, and with the faith I had in my heart, and the determination that I was going to get a job, all I needed to do was try, take steps, apply, keep praying, keep trusting God, keep talking to people, telling them this is what I want to do. The door opened. Shortly after I had gone back and delivered my second child, my daughter, within a month, my daughter was a month old when I got a job offer in the city where my husband was, and I resumed work. So that fear of having more than one source of income at the end was sorted out. The fear of how long will I stay before I got another job offer was sorted out. What if I decide to stay in my comfort zone and not take that step of going back? This is just one of many examples where I've had to take steps of faith, and had to take steps, action steps, irrespective of the fear I felt. So that takes me to the next point. You do not have to figure out everything before you take a step. You need to understand that risk-taking is a normal part of life. Even in the world of business, you must be willing to take the risk. At every phase in your life, you have to weigh your pros and your cons, and don't try to figure it all out. Once you weigh your pros and your cons, and with that you make a decision, take the step. It will sort itself out. If you lose, fine. The beauty about losing is that when you lose, you know where to improve on. You know what to improve on to prevent you from losing again. You take one step. You try it out. Oh, it's not working out. You now know what area is not working out. How can I improve on this area that is not working out? You try again. Now that you're trying again, you're trying with more experience. So you need to understand that you don't have to figure it all out. And lastly, you need to come to that understanding that dreams can only become a reality when we take action steps. You can decide to sit and daydream and imagine, and it's all there in your head. But for that dream, that imagination, that aspiration to become a reality, you need to be able to draft your goals on how to make your dreams a reality. And that comes with fear. Sometimes we dream so big, and I encourage you to dream so big. Your current capacity may feel like this dream, I don't see the possibility. The possibility shouldn't be your concern. Your concern should be, for this to be a possibility, what can I do? What do I need to do? What do I need to improve on? What steps do I need to take to make this dream a reality? So never stop dreaming, but at the same time, don't stay as a dreamer. You need to act. You need to take steps. And irrespective of the fear you feel, always know that your dream can become a reality with every little step you make. So these are the few understandings that have helped me on my journey from fear to taking action steps of faith and making my dreams a reality. You would always feel fear, but don't try not to feel fear. But always encourage yourself to take action steps towards your dreams. So now I have an assignment for you. Write out setting goals you want to achieve. And what can you do today to take a step closer to achieving them? Thank you for listening to today's episode of the Women Lighthouse Podcast. I hope you were inspired to keep taking steps towards living out your dreams. If you enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to share it with other women and leave us a review on our social media platforms, which is in the description box. Also, feel free to subscribe to our channel to get notified of new episodes. Till I come your way on our next episode, keep living, keep dreaming. Bye for now. Transcribed by https://otter.ai