When it comes to movies, how many of you like horror movies? I used to be a horror movie girl, but now they are a bit too stressful for me. I don’t mind suspenseful movies or shows, but the full-blown fear in horror movies is way too much. 

I was reminded of how much I hate horror movies on Tuesday night in my Emerging Leaders class. One of the women in the class perfectly articulated how our minds somehow create this horror show in our head of what could possibly happen if we take a risk or go out side of our comfort zone. If you’ve ever had that happen (and we all have), you know the amazing depths of our imagination, right? We create a horror story of what COULD happen that would even impress the likes of Steven Spielberg. But even as creative as we are, it is highly unlikely our horror story will ever happen, so why do we do it?

Well, it’s the amygdala in our brain causing this reaction, but how do we outwit it? How can we stop creating horror stories that never happen—but they do hold us back? When that fear arises in us, instead of believing in the horror story, what if we became curious. Start to question the veracity of this crazy story we’ve created. Is it LIKELY? If we had to give it a %, what would that number be? And then ask yourself a simple question, “If I move forward, what is the worst that can happen?” Don’t let the amygdala answer, you answer that one. Remember: the horror story rarely, if ever, happens, so don’t live your life like it does.

With Gratitude,
Beth

P.S. Thank you, Jules!