How to overcome fear and become more courageous?
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you ask me who is my favorite hero movie character, I would have to say “Optimus Prime”. Over the weekend, I decided to binge-watch my favorite hero movie.
Optimus, the leader of the Autobots, a faction of Transformers who are rivals of the Decepticons, another faction. He is defined by his strong moral character and is almost always portrayed as the primary hero of the story, opposing the evil Decepticon leader Megatron.
Optimus Prime’s greatest weakness is his sense of nobility. If an adversary claims to have had a change of heart and discovered inner goodness, Prime will fall for it every single time.
Part of what makes Optimus such a great leader and a fascinating character is his anatomy. That body of his is very unique, even among other giants, transforming, hero robots.
To Me, Optimus is raw, authentic, and courageous. He is loyal, compassionate to mankind, and embracing all the differences from the beginning of human consciousness.
Personally, I admire Optimus and look up to him.
Many people had come to me asking me how do you find courage in this world? How did you overcome your fear? How do you lead by living through your examples?
I would say the very first step one can take to overcome our fear is by understanding our fear. Almost everyone I have spoken to would express how fear is unpleasant and they are simply tire of being afraid. They want courage. They want to have the ability to do things out of their comfort zone which will in term lead to building their confidence. They want to be more confident.
In order to have a solution, we need to understand where our problem is first and foremost. The problem is not coming from the belief that “I am not confident,” or “I don’t know how to be confident,” or “I can never be as courageous as you.” The problem is coming from the belief that you don’t have “courage” or “confidence” in the first place.
I believe we are not broken, in any shape or form. I believe the courage to stand in front of billions of people, to stand up at the time when humanity or yourself in danger or the courage to face the most unimaginable truth, I believe it’s there all along. It is at the very core of human beings. This is why at times of need when a situation calls upon you, you are able to access that characteristic with ease.
Those who are able to act upon it are those who exercise their authenticity, honorable truth on who they are. They are the one who understands their values in life while living in line with those values.
Over the course of years, I’ve had many clients who come to me looking for confidence, looking for courage, and looking for ways to find it for themselves. Many of them had come to realize that confidence and courage don't come from outside sources.
We can only cultivate them from within by letting go of our judgments. Seeing things and labeling them as good or bad, right or wrong.
You had it within you this whole entire time. We have been blinded by our own fear. In order to overcome fear, we must remember our inner goodness. We must believe that when everything else fails, you hold the power to carry on. This power doesn’t come from anyone else but from within you. This is what makes you a Hero.
And if you look close enough, there is an Optimus Prime within you.
“Our races united by a history of long-forgotten and future we shall face together. I send this message so that our pasts will always be remembered, for in those memories we live on.” -Optimus Prime
Warmly,
Michelle
Michelle Kuei, Pharm.D., ACC, CPC, ELI-MP
Author. Life Coach. Speaker.
ICF Associate Certified Coach
Certified Professional Coach
Certified Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner
Certified Cor.E Transitions Dynamic Specialist
WomanSpeak Circle Leader
Doctor of Pharmacy
Flaws are what make us human. Accepting our flaws and forgiving ourselves for our mistakes and reconciling those conflicting parts of ourselves is crucial to our health and happiness. -Michelle Kuei, “Perfectly Normal: An Immigrant’s Story Of Making It In America”
