Enroute Your Legend #5: When the Fears Come... And They Will'

Whatever your personal legend is, achieving it is going to be a challenge, one of the biggest you'll ever face in your lifetime. Sometimes, you are going to feel inadequate, not ready. You will wonder who ever made you think you could achieve something so great. And you will suddenly find yourself afraid of what would hapen when you fail.

There are really only two ways to overcome fear --reminding yourself of why you're doing what you're doing, and going ahead to do it anyway. Activity, it turns out, has a way of pushing fears away. And whenever things seem hard, your reasons for wanting it --for starting in the first place-- can keep you going.

*In our book, 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho, our shepherd Santiago encountered real fear when he lost all his money to the thief at the market just a few hours after starting his journey. He was thoroughly discouraged, and started entertaining thoughts of how bitter he would become because he would be so insignificant and poor after his failure. However, his beliefs returned when his sight happened on the two stones given to him by the King Melchizedek from his breastplate. They reminded him of his reasons for starting out on the strange journey, his previous convictions, the teachings of the king, and all he had to gain. Immediately, he realised it was all a part of his learning process --part of his adventure --and his happiness returned.

Fear is a powerful emotion. It can galvanise action, or paralyse completely. Be ready for it, understand that it will come, and when it does, you will find that you can keep yourself going on the road to your personal legend.

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Read the previous episode of 'Enroute Your Legend'
#4 Comfort: The Devil In Disguise

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With stories from Pablo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'