Vitamin We #6: From Fear to Courage

As creatives, we are the humans who can transform conceptual ideas that live only in our imagination into tangible reality - and sometimes, that enormous power scares us!

Like my favorite quote by Marianne Williamson illuminates,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”

May courage be our guide in our everyday decisions - I hope the stories below will propel you forward!

INTUITION: You don't know how you know it; you just KNOW.

It’s hard to explain with words or justify with logic, but if you ignore it, you’ll probably regret later 😂 

How do humans understand the world? We mainly perceive the world and receive inputs with our 5 senses, then process and analyze part of the data with our heads. Some people also have the extrasensory perception (ESP).

And our mysterious and complex head brains are NOT the only intelligent agents in us; science and the latest research have finally uncovered that we also have gut brains and heart brains, with our vagus nerve playing a major role in modulating their communications and translations.

Think of our nervous system as the "internet" within us that connects us to the “outer net”!

With such a wealth of intelligence that we have, wouldn’t it be biased to rely only on our linear, logical, rational mind (which AI can do so much better than us) to make choices that bring us freedom and happiness?

And, for us to build an inclusive world, wouldn’t it “make sense” to start by having an inclusive “board of directors” within us when it comes to making important life decisions?

Then, the next important question becomes - How do we know if our intuition is communicating with us?

It can be through multiple ways: You might feel it in your body - like knots in the stomach, a voice telling you a hint, a word dropping into your mind, a moving image flashing inside the screen of your forehead, or a full-body sensation that tells you “hell yes!” or “hell no!”.

Maybe you can sense someone’s emotions before they ever start speaking or can communicate with animals. Maybe you have foresight and can see a future episode. Maybe you feel an urgency to get prepared, to call someone in need etc.

Everyone is different, and just like every skill, with training, it can be developed and strengthened like our muscles!

P.S. You are definitely not muggles; stop pretending 😆

“Doing something for the first time can be challenging.

Speaking in public in a room full of strangers, in a language that is not your own, and while suffering from social anxiety is more than terrifying! Trust me, I've been there!

I remember my first experience speaking in a room full of people about my art, as something that I will never forget. There I was able to understand the true meaning of being creative.

Creativity goes beyond experimenting with new art techniques, media, styles etc. It is something that as artists, we carry within ourselves; we are constantly faced with the desire to create something new externally to show the world but most of the time, all our creativity wants to do is to create something new internally.

Going back to my first experience as a speaker, I reached for the microphone on shaky hands and knees, and right there, I adopted this life motto: "If you are afraid to do something, be afraid and still do it."

This does not mean that I am no longer afraid of anything; on the contrary, I get scared and overwhelmed more often than not. It gives me anxiety even looking at a blank canvas!

But then, I close my eyes, pick up my pencil, and keep drawing until my heart takes over my brain.”

“Embarking on this NFT journey, it was the first time I felt comfortable sharing my art.

Fearful of failure, it had held me back for so long.

Yet I mustard courage by following the advice of one of the people I look up to the most, Alan Dunn.

He said, “If no one sees it, then what's the point?”

He encouraged me to be vulnerable and share my craft. So I did, and it opened the door to a community that has helped me build myself up.

Transformation takes time, takes work. It can be uncomfortable, but everything worth your time won't always be easy.

Although my journey has been full of failures, I'm on my way to building something I love and believe in. I've encountered failures that have given me the most valuable lessons.

I'm on my way to exploring who I am as an artist, and a member of the NFT community. As a visionary who wants to embrace the future.

Don't fear of failing; it’s part of the process of growth.”

Idea #1 Feeding the Right Wolf 🐺:

You’ve probably heard of this story before:

To interrupt the autopilot pattern that has been accumulating momentum for decades, whenever we feel triggered, just pause, be still for a few seconds or minutes, take 3 deep breaths, and slow the process down. In that precious moment, we can make a different choice that leads to happiness and freedom and unlock our access to our natural intelligence, warmth, and our capacity to remain open and present with the natural movement of life.

Idea #2 The Source of Our Unease:

She wrote,

What then? We are encouraged to drop the storyline, and our attachment to our identity (which is NOT fixed and static anyway), and simply pause, look out or look up to the sky, and breathe. Watch our emotions as simply dynamic energy moving through. Life’s energy is as shifting, fluid and changing as the weather. Happy and sad, comfortable and uncomfortable, alternate continuously.

Idea #3 Touching the World Through Touching Our Own Distress:

Have you ever wondered: Why do we need to experience pain? Is there any value, and importance for feeling pain?

The author said yes: