My Journey Through Fear

Talk given at Dot York conference in York on May 1st 2014.

Talk summary:
We all know what it’s like to feel afraid, right? In our industry and our world today, perfection is something that is idolised and we’re under a near-constant pressure to bring something new to the table at all times at whatever the cost. I want to talk to you about my own journey through fear, where we get a bit personal and maybe even challenge your ideas of what it actually means to be afraid, and how we can use the power fear gives us to do some good.

Transcript

1. M Y J O U R N E Y T H R O U G H F E A R R A C H E L S H I L L C O C K - @ M I S S R A C H I L L I D O T Y O R K - M A Y 2 0 1 4
2. H E L L O !
4. F R E E L A N C E D E S I G N E R
5. W H Y D O E S T H I S TA L K M AT T E R ? • I want to challenge the idea that being afraid is often seen as a weakness. • I want to share my own journey through fear with you all today. • I want to show you that it really is possible to overcome your fears.
6. W H AT W I L L I C O V E R ? • What is fear? • My journey through fear. • How I overcame my fears - and how you can too.
7. S O … W H AT I S F E A R ?
8. – J . M . B A R R I E “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
9. T H E M E A N I N G O F F E A R
10. T Y P E S O F F E A R …
11. I M M E D I AT E F E A R
12. T H AT “ O T H E R ” F E A R
13. – O X F O R D D I C T I O N A RY “an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.” FEAR
14. – O X F O R D D I C T I O N A RY “feeling fear or anxiety; frightened” AFRAID
15. – O X F O R D D I C T I O N A RY “Feeling or showing worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome” ANXIOUS
16. F E A R A F R A I D A N X I O U S
17. T H E S C I E N C E B E H I N D F E A R
18. O U R B R A I N S & F E A R
19. W H E N U N D E R S E V E R E T H R E AT…
20. G E T T I N G A B I T S C I E N T I F I C N O W…
21. B U T W H E N W E ’ R E S C A R E D …
22. R AT I O N A L V S E M O T I O N A L
23. O U R B O D Y & F E A R
24. B R E AT H E FA S T E R
25. H E A R T R AT E R I S E S
26. B L O O D P R E S S U R E R I S E S
27. A D R E N A L I N E P U M P S A R O U N D O U R B O D Y
28. O U R M U S C L E S T I G H T E N
29. W E G E T C H I L L S
30. W E H AV E T R O U B L E F O C U S I N G O N S M A L L TA S K S
31. F I G H T O R F L I G H T
32. T H E P S Y C H O L O G Y O F F E A R
33. F E A R I S A N E M O T I O N
34. I T I S P O W E R F U L
35. I T I S P R I M I T I V E
36. S O M E P E O P L E T H R I V E O N F E A R …
37. … O T H E R S H AV E N E G AT I V E R E A C T I O N S
38. F E A R O F F E A R I T S E L F I S W H AT C A N H O L D U S B A C K
39. M Y O W N J O U R N E Y T H R O U G H F E A R
40. L E T ’ S J U M P B A C K A F E W Y E A R S …
41. W H E R E I T A L L B E G A N …
42. S TA R T E D W O R K I N 2 0 0 9
43. S TA R T E D F R E E L A N C I N G S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 … …what?!
44. Z E R O T O H E R O ? N O WAY.
45. A N D S O B E G I N S M Y J O U R N E Y…
46. YAY, F R E E L A N C E ?
47. I F E LT PA R A LY S E D B Y M Y F E A R .
48. B U I L D F R I E N D S H I P S , N O T W O R K R E L AT I O N S H I P S . L E S S O N 1 :
49. A N X I E T Y K I C K S I N …
50. – O X F O R D D I C T I O N A RY “Feeling or showing worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome” ANXIOUS
51. S U R R O U N D Y O U R S E L F W I T H A M A Z I N G P E O P L E . L E S S O N 2 :
52. S H O U L D W E W O R K A L L H O U R S ?
53. L O O K A F T E R Y O U R S E L F. L E S S O N 3 :
54. D O N ’ T G E T T O O C O M F O R TA B L E …
55. T H I N K O U T S I D E O F T H E B O X
56. P E R F O R M L I K E Y O U R L I F E D E P E N D S O N I T L E S S O N 4 :
57. L I V I N G A L I E …
58. H A R D W O R K PAY S O F F E V E RY S I N G L E T I M E . L E S S O N 5 :
59. B E A S U R V I V O R
60. S C A R E U S A N D M A K E U S F E E L V U L N E R A B L E F E A R C A N …
61. H E L P U S U N D E R S TA N D W H AT W E C A R E A B O U T F E A R C A N …
62. H E L P U S D O S O M E A M A Z I N G T H I N G S F E A R C A N …
63. A N O P P O R T U N I T Y ? F E A R C A N B E …
64. W H AT A R E Y O U A F R A I D O F ?
65. P L E A S E D O N ’ T B E S C A R E D !
66. A U D I E N C E PA R T I C I PAT I O N T I M E …
67. H O W Y O U C A N T U R N Y O U R O W N F E A R S I N T O A P O W E R F O R G O O D
68. B E P O S I T I V E & T H I N K P O S I T I V E LY
69. S E E F E A R A S A N O P P O RT U N I T Y
70. W E I G H U P Y O U R O P T I O N S ( T H A N K S T I N Y B U D D H A . C O M )
71. T H I N K O F H O W M U C H M O R E Y O U C O U L D D O I F Y O U E M B R A C E D Y O U R F E A R S …
72. H O W M A N Y T I M E S H AV E Y O U L E T Y O U R F E A R S H O L D Y O U B A C K ?
73. Y O U R F E A R I S O N O N E S I D E O F T H E R O O M …
74. Y O U A R E O N T H E O T H E R S I D E O F T H AT R O O M …
75. B U T T H E R E A R E M A N Y O B S TA C L E S
76. Y O U N E E D T O G E T PA S T Y O U R F E A R S T O T R U LY F I N D Y O U R P O T E N T I A L
77. – A L B E RT E I N S T E I N “There are only two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.”
78. – A L B E RT E I N S T E I N “There are only two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.”
79. T H E F I N A L F E W S T E P S …
80. FA C E Y O U R F E A R S H E A D O N
81. E X P O S E Y O U R S E L F T O F E A R
82. A S K Y O U R S E L F W H Y Y O U ’ R E A F R A I D
83. – E L E A N O R R O O S E V E LT “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
84. U N C E R TA I N T Y C R E AT E S F E A R
85. – A N O N “Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears we can move forward stronger and wiser within ourselves.”
86. I W O N ’ T L I E … I T ’ S S C A RY.
87. R E M E M B E R T H AT E V E RY B O D Y H A S T H E P O T E N T I A L T O B E B R I L L I A N T
88. – R I C H A R D W I L K I N S “Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.”
89. F I N D Y O U R T I M E T O … F I N D Y O U R T I M E T O … S H I N E
90. T H A N K Y O U R A C H E L S H I L L C O C K @ M I S S R A C H I L L I ! M Y J O U R N E Y T H R O U G H F E A R D O T Y O R K - M A Y 2 0 1 4