Do Not Collaborate With Fear

Today, I choose not to collaborate with fear. Today, I am capable, magnificent, and whole.

The line, “But Katie won’t collaborate with their fear,” hit me like a ton of bricks—simple yet incredibly powerful. This line comes from a book, “Ask For Horses,” by Tia Tau, where Tia reflects on time spent with Katie Byron and her School For The Work. (Katie has an incredible approach to self-inquiry, and I recommend you look her work up to learn more). 

What an important reminder – to stop collaborating with fear, something I’ve aimlessly been doing for years. Every day, I hear fear knocking, I let it in, and ask, “How do we work together?” But this bond with fear only suppresses the more authentic energies of mine—my ambitions, dreams, and goals. Fear feeds me a never-ending list of reasons why I shouldn’t pursue what matters to me. It is too late, I don’t have time, I will fail, I will be judged, I do not know what I am doing, on and on. 

What if, instead, when I hear that knock, I say, “I choose not to collaborate with fear today”? What if, day after day, I continue to say this aloud, to stop the nurturing of a weighted energy that has distracted me from so much possibility? 

This mantra is now a part of my daily environment—pinned on my wall, scribbled in my journal, and placed on a card in my kitchen. I won’t master this mindset overnight, but the act of daily repetition will strengthen the awareness and determination outside of fear. Slowly but surely, fear will take a backseat, not because it’s gone, but because my own voice has become stronger.