The past few months have given me and others I know the opportunity to examine the similarities and differences between being scared and being excited. Starting a new business, going on a first date, divorcing, moving home, changing jobs – these situations can lead to both fear and hope.
Feeling scared, nervous, or fearful often shows up in my body as shallow breathing, sweaty palms, agitated movement even when still, nauseous in my stomach, quicker heartbeats. The severity of these physical sensations depends on the magnitude of the fear.
Feeling excited often shows up in my body as shallow breathing, sweaty palms, jittery movement, butterflies in my stomach, racing pulse. Sound familiar?
I’ve noticed the similarities of the two feelings in terms of physical sensations. The difference between the two for me I’ve determined is what’s going on in my head. With fear the thoughts are about what could go wrong, sometimes going to the worst-case scenarios. With excitement the thoughts are about the hope, possibility, upside potential.
The thinking is that fear and excitement on two sides to the same coin – the coin being the given situation and each side being the attitude, head space or thoughts we could bring to the situation.
What situation would benefit from you looking at it with excitement rather than fear?
I am a friendly and professional personal life coach and an executive coach at Directions Coaching in London, and my thoughts are designed to help you think about your life and how to improve it. If you would like to hear more about how I can tailor a life coaching session for you or your business, give me a no-obligation call on 02031 516830.
