6 steps to conquering your fears and living your dreams
Fear is a liar. It is the voice in your head that tells you can’t achieve or have the things you hope for or dream of. Many of us put roadblocks in our way without even realizing that the roadblock’s root cause is fear.
Esther Marie knows all too well the many faces of fear. Soon after starting to learn how to chase the waves surfing in California, she realized that her only fear wasn’t the force of the ocean but also fear of the unknown, fear of love, and fear of getting hurt. While banding together with a group of surfer girls, she noticed a trend in fears that kept these audacious and daring surfer girls from living a life free of fear away from the water. Esther set off to tackle these fears by founding Fearless Co. and writing a book Unhindered by Fear: A guide to Facing Your Fears and Achieving Your Dreams.
Esther has done just that by climbing mountains, surfing waves, traveling the world, and facing her emotions head-on. She knows you have the power within you to win against your fears to LIVE of life full of joy and confidence! The life that God has always intended you to see and have.
We sat down with Esther to talk about adventure and six fear-slaying steps to conquering your fears and living your dreams!
Meet Esther
The author of four books, Esther Marie, is passionate about helping young people live their best life. She holds a BA in Ministerial Leadership from Southeastern University and has worked as a humanitarian focusing on youth outreach, mentorship, and anti-human trafficking initiatives for the last ten years. Esther established Fearless Co. in 2013 as a community resource to help young women discover their true value and navigate their purpose. A writer, surfer, and entrepreneur, you can catch Esther riding waves, playing with her nieces & nephews, or eating tacos with her best friends at the beach.
6 steps to facing your fears
After a freak accident at nine years old, Esther wore a mask to hide the shame of her insecurity of not feeling beautiful. She masked her insecurity by resorting to competitiveness to gain attention and respect. At a young age, Satan whispered lie after lie, making Esther believe she wasn’t beautiful. Even if you haven’t had such a dramatic experience, like Esther, we are all living with masks to not expose feeling vulnerable. Whether it’s the fear of the unknown, the fear of being loved, or the fear of not being good enough, the root cause of what is stopping you from achieving your dreams, is fear.
So how do you get to the root cause and achieve your dreams?
- Recognize your insecurities – Recognize at the core of whatever is stopping you is insecurity.
- Face your fear – Instead of running from your fear, face it head-on and expose it for what it is. Don’t let the fear of rejection or whatever it may be stopping you.
- Identify the lie – Identify the root of the fear and then move past it.
- Discover the truth – Esther’s truth was that she was created in the image of God, and nothing could ever steal her beauty. No lie has authority over the truth.
- Experience freedom – Freedom comes from discovering the truth. Having faith leads to knowing the truth, and the lies will eventually fade away.
- Achieve your dream – When you have overcome your fear, you can now dig in and accomplish the unimaginable. You can live out your dreams and live your purpose.
Create a hopeful fantasy
What if you’ve never faced a fear head-on? “In order to not be afraid, you have to want to not be afraid,” says Esther. You have to be the one who wants it bad enough to face your fears. There is a zone outside of your comfort zone where you can get the courage to face your fears, no matter what it takes. As Esther states, “Envision your future with a new lens. Forget the what-ifs and negative chit-chat and envision your future through a new lens of “why not?” Image a new story that no longer has a negative feeling or context.”
What’s your biggest fear? What’s your greatest dream?
Don’t know where to start? Ask yourself what’s your biggest fear and your greatest dream, and write them down. Do your answers surprise you? If you are like most, you can see that your fears and dreams are correlated. That fear was tailor-made for you, tailored-made for your dream. It is the one thing that is holding you back from your greatest dream. That is who you were created to be, so don’t let fear stop you from achieving your dreams.
One thing remains constant
Where the crushing happens, the anointing happens. His goodness isn’t contingent on our life experiences, and His goodness is always there. Trust the unknown and be OK with the outcome. Trust the process and let God lead you. Let go and only cling to God.
More from this episode
Some fears are meant to be faced alone, but often success can be found through finding yourself a community to cheer you on throughout your fear conquering journey. The Fearless Co. can offer you the community you need. With an ever-growing community on Facebook and Instagram, you can band together with like-minded women to support one another in facing your fears. Fearless Co. also offers a free e-course, The Fearless Girl Adventures Course, where you can experience wild adventure through Yosemite, Big Sur, Pismo Beach, and Huntington Beach as you learn a step-by-step guide on how to face your fears and achieve your dreams. No better way to remember God’s great majesty and love.
Looking for a daily approach to facing your fears? You can dip your toe in the water by starting Esther’s 7-day plan found on the Bible App. Or, if you are ready to dive fully in, you can find Unhindered by Fear: A guide to Facing Your Fears and Achieving Your Dreams on Amazon and the Fearless Co. website. Use code: INSPIRED for a discount!
Want to connect with Esther? Connect with her via Instagram.
Looking to build a community of Christian women? Head over to Faith & Gather for connection and more stories to become faith-inspired.