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Face your Fears

I did it!

The world will never be the same: as usual when one overcomes her fears, there is a "before" and an "after".

Though I am an amateur mountain climber, the fear of heights has never left me. It manifests itself mainly when I am walking on a bridge, on a transparent floor, on a grilled passage or when climbing a ladder.
Sweaty palms, increased heart rate, and light headedness are the noticeable symptoms of this phobia which started in early childhood.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to try myself on a flying trapeze. It seemed so easy from down below! The easiness with which the pro (and sometimes first timers) were jumping from the platform was truly impressive.

The colorful trapeze was set almost on the beach somewhere on the Western coast of Mexico. One could not dream of a better place to stand and conquer her fears.
Here I go: the first hurdle is the (almost) free standing ladder. After the 5th level, phobia symptoms start to kick in. I keep on going, only listening to the little voice which says, "you can do it, piece of cake, you cannot fail, people are watching you" and shutting up the little "failure devil" saying, "who cares? Who needs to jump from a trapeze anyway? You are still ok without this. Who needs to take stupid risks? Forget about it."

As I reach the hanging platform, 45 feet high in the air, my legs are shaking, do I have legs? Can't feel them? my head is light and I am plainly afraid.
At that point the little "failure devil" almost wins as I tell Kenny the pro trapeze instructor standing next to me: "Not sure I am up to it really. I'm scared and I have vertigo." Kenny adopts the true coach's attitude and says: "It's gonna be ok. You can do it. You came up all that way, you are fully secured, now there is only one way down: jump!"
After discussing a little bit more to delay the inevitable, I let myself slide off the platform and scream at the top of my lungs.
The audience laughs as I call for mom and then refuse to let go of the trapeze and fall into the net below.

But I DID IT! I overcame this fear. The world will never be the same.

Now, if you suffer from a phobia, never let anybody make you feel inferior because of it. Don't let people judge you on it. You are the one in charge.

My advice: kick yourself in the butt, shut up the "failure devil," listen to your "inner coach," face your fears, and boost your self-esteem tenfold. Overcoming your fears will truly make you feel you are the king of the world.

To your success!
Ps: a few years ago I even ate some live beetles to see if I could do it, but that's another story :)

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©Valerie Orsoni-Vauthey, Speron Inc, MyPrivateCoach d/b/a 2004.
www.MyPrivateCoach.com
Valerie Orsoni-Vauthey is the CEO & Founder of MyPrivateCoach. She can be contacted at info@myprivatecoach.com.
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