Feel the Fear... and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway has been the most life enhancing and life-changing book I have ever read.
A bit like a manual for life, the book quickly delves straight into common sense ways for you to stop being so fearful and make yourself happy in your life. The book splits into chapters which begin with the most simple concepts and process to the ideas which help to bring everything together to improve your experience of life. By doing it in this way, Jeffers has made sure that we don't get frightened away in the first pages by the massive but rewarding task of removing fear from our lives.
Near the beginning of the book, there is a section of types of fear, which I think was the first revelation for me. Split into three levels of fears, she lists the different level one and level two fears which start with very complex situations which are then broken down into simple emotions. Finally, the third level doesn't even need a list of examples because all it involves is the fear that "I can't handle it". Straight away this made me realise that all of my fears actually have a link and that if I knew that I could handle everything that was thrown at me in life then I would never have to be scared. It shows us that trusting in our own ability to "handle it" is the way to remove our fears in life.
My favourite affirmation from the book which I have decided to keep as the one I am most likely to use in my everyday life is: I am powerful, I am loving, I have nothing to fear. I love this because it is simple, present, not unachievable, and makes me feel like I have the strength to work through every single day.
Some other important tips which I have picked up from reading this book and would love to remember are how I use language to talk about myself and my life by taking responsibility, reducing blame behaviour by not acting like the victim, out talking my negativity by keeping positive. Jeffers refers to the voice in your head which dictates your fear as your chatterbox and explains that handling your chatterbox is the key to overcoming many of your mind blocks.
I love the idea that she preaches that we should be aware of every choice we have within a situation and therefore commit 100% to that choice because we know it doesn't really matter what we've chosen as we will make the most of the given situation. Another important lesson that I always love is acting like you count because this help to make you believe you count and eventually does make you count because you can give a larger contribution by believing you can.
Overall, I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone as a book which can completely change your perspective on your life and yourself to help you overcome every obstacle and which you can go back to time and again for an extra boost in times of need.
