When this Beliefnet blogger tells her “I quit my secure job of 17 years to become our country’s premiere Weight Loss Artist Story” inevitably people want to know: Had she lost her mind? Was she filled with fear or was she fearless? How does one leave security and money and jump into their dream, head first, no water in the pool, and not be overcome, frozen, paralyzed and swallowed up by fear?

Truth be told, there’s no way around fear … you can only move through it!
Here follows a brief synopsis of Janice’s story, in honor of her five year anniversary of diving into fear, head first … OUCH!

Five years ago, almost to the day, after permanently removing over 50 pounds both internally and externally, I walked into my boss’s office and said, “I can’t do this any longer. I’ll be leaving now.” Just like that – I QUIT. (And permanently removed an additional 175 pounds … HIM!)
“What will you do?” he asked.
“Become our country’s first weight loss artist and write a book.” I answered
“What?” “Huh?” “That’s crazy.” etc. etc. etc.
Nevertheless, in the face of a fully loaded platter of fear, anxiety, and the unknown, I went for it. And when fear did rise to the surface and – oh boy – did it! – (no job, no money coming in, no real knowledge of how to write a book, no agent, no publisher), I used my ‘fear’ meditation/visualization to catapult me from stuck to action!

Every afternoon I had a meltdown. So, I gave myself 20 minutes of hiding under the covers (literally), and then I dusted myself off and practiced my ‘fear’ meditation/visualization. And THEN – feeling refreshed and more confident, I went back to working on writing my first book (Our Lady of Weight Loss) and recreating my life. I’d like to share this visualization with you now.
Fear: One of the Winning Ingredients for Transformation.
Imagine gathering all your fear … pulling it from the front … bits and pieces of charred glass, loose strings, thin wire, static lines – to the left – loose ends and remnants of the past – and to the right – concern, unease and the angst of the future. A quick sweep around – full circle – in all directions – gather any debris, any floating particles that may have gotten past you.
And taking all these bits, pieces and elements of fear and the energy – the adrenaline – that comes with them – and now filled with great determination – your hands purposefully pack these fragments together – clearing the air, while you amass a small, very hard ball – like a baseball – with its hard smooth cover and red stitches.
Rub your hands over the ball; toss it from your left hand to your right hand – feel its sting as it hits one palm and then the other – consider its power. Toss the ball up and down into the air, up and down – Now handling your fear, like a hall-of-famer, you grab hold of a pen and sign the ball. Your signature with its hidden message – making this ball that much more effective and valuable.
And with ball in one hand and bat in the other, you stand erect, and as you toss the ball into the air, you feel a cool breeze caress your face – and the breeze connects you to your intention – and then with great confidence, resolve and tremendous want-power you now slam into the ball that holds all that has ever or will ever get in your way. You hear the crack of the bat and watch the ball as it flies over the fence and into the clouds – writing the hidden message in the wind – sailing out of sight – a grand slam homerun.
And for the first time, you realize that you are not alone. The stadium is filled to capacity and your team as well as the opposing team is present – all cheering for you, as you easily and effortlessly run the bases. Touching first base – your heart begins to sing… as you turn the corner and run past second base – you hear the roar of the crowd; third base – you take your baseball cap off and wave to the crowd, and when you reach home plate, you toss your cap high up into the air and as it returns to your hand, you take in a deep breath, filling your lungs with the sweet smell of fresh air. You are safe.
And now filled with great energy and a sense of purpose and resolve, you return to the tasks at hand that will catapult you and your dreams over the fence, through the clouds, and into another stratosphere.
Feel free to hold onto this, read it ,change the words to fit your vision of how to gather up your fear and move on.
Thank you for sharing my 5 Year Anniversary of Fear.
Spread the word (NOT the icing!),
Janice
For other ways to take on your fear and transform it into energy to move you forward, go to: How to Face Fear: 10 BIble Verses that Inspire Courage
Talk it through on the Kick in the Tush Club community!
And set thyself free with All Is Forgiven, Move On: Our Lady of Weight Loss’s 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltesville