ITA 2013

5 Ways To Turn Fear Into Fuel

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jonathan Fields, author of Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel for Brilliance.

[1]   Uncertainty. It’s a terrifying word.  

  Living with it, dangling over your head like the sword of Damocles, day in day out, is enough to send  

anyone spiraling into a state of anxiety, fear and paralysis.  

  Like it or not, though, uncertainty is the new normal. We live in a time where the world is in a state of  

[5] constant, long-term flux. And, that’s not all. If you want to spend your time on the planet not just getting-by, but  

consistently creating art, experiences, businesses and lives that truly matter, you’ll need to proactively seek  

out, invite and even deliberately amplify uncertainty. Because the other side of uncertainty is opportunity.  

  Nothing great was ever created by waiting around for someone to tell you it’s all going to be okay or for  

perfect information to drop from the sky. Doesn’t happen that way. Great work requires you to act in the face of  

[10] uncertainty, to live in the question long enough for your true potential to emerge. There is no alternative.  

  When you find the strength to act in the face of uncertainty, you till the soil of genius.  

  Problem is, that kills most people. It leads to unease, anxiety, fear and doubt on a level that snuffs out  

most genuinely meaningful and potentially revolutionary endeavors before they even see the light of day. Not  

because they wouldn’t have succeeded, but because you never equipped yourself to handle and even  

[15] harness the emotional energy of the journey.  

  But, what if it didn’t have to be that way?  

  What if there was a way to turn the fear, anxiety and self-doubt that rides along with acting in the face of  

uncertainty—the head-to-toe butterflies—into fuel for brilliance?  

  Turns out, there is. Your ability to lean into the unknown isn’t so much about luck or genetics, rather it’s  

[20] something entirely trainable. I’ve spent the past few years interviewing world-class creators across a wide  

range of fields and pouring over research that spans neuroscience, decision-theory, psychology, creativity and  

business.  

  Through this work, a collection of patterns, practices and strategies have emerged that not only  

turbocharge insight, creativity, innovation and problem-solving, but also help ameliorate so much of the  

suffering so often associated with the pursuit of any creative quest. 

Fonte: http://zenhabits.net/fearfuel. Acesso em 07/12/2011. Texto adaptado.

A expressão “The head-to-toe butterflies” (linha 20), no contexto em que se insere, significa