I don't actually like feeling afraid.

I don't want to be afraid.

But I've come to understand that fear has a purpose. It is information. Sometimes it is telling me there really is something I need to pay attention to. Sometimes it is warning me about danger.

And sometimes?

Sometimes it is simply telling me that I'm doing something unfamiliar, vulnerable, uncertain, or emotionally uncomfortable.

Those are not the same thing.

The ability to distinguish between them has changed the way I think about fear.

I don't have to get rid of it.

I can feel it.

I can listen to it.

I can ask what it is trying to tell me.

And then I can decide whether it gets to make the decision.

Because fear can come along for the ride without driving the car.