“I am fear. I’m here to protect you.”
~ A Blood Ogre from My Dream

What this quote means to women entrepreneurs:
The other night I had another one of those dreams that is quote-worthy. I was in a castle and there was a blood ogre following me around and roaring at people, scaring them away. He was big and scary looking — as ogres usually are — and he was wet and bloody as if someone had flayed his skin off.

It didn’t take me long to realize that, like a barking dog, he didn’t mean me any harm. But it was getting annoying that I couldn’t talk to anyone without him roaring at them, causing their hair to fly away from this breath, and frightening them off.

So I said, “Hey! Why do you keep doing that?”

He looked at me much like a scolded puppy, his head tilted to one side, and replied, “I am fear. I’m here to protect you.”

That statement hit me so powerfully, I woke up.

I realized at that moment how true that statement was. Fear is here to protect us. However, sometimes it tries to protect us from things that won’t hurt us. It tries to protect us from things that are actually good for us.

For example, a fear of touching a hot pot’s handle is a good, protective fear. It protects us from getting our hands burned.

However, a fear of playing bigger in our business is not a good fear. It keeps us from showing up in big, bold ways that will help us help all those who need our services. This kind of fear shows up in ways that don’t always seem like fear at first:

• Procrastination
• Excuses for not doing things we know we need to do
• Subtle self-sabotage

This fear is rooted in the fear of the unknown, the fear of not maintaining the status quo, which, no matter how unpleasant it might be, is known and therefore comfortable.

We all have Blood Ogres protecting us, and like the one in my dream, it really does have your best interests at heart. However, as you would with a protective dog, you need to train it (and sometimes ignore it) when it tries to protect you from the wrong things.

Now It’s Your Turn:
Do you agree with my interpretation of today’s quote? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on fear and how it protects you? Please share your ideas, experiences, and sage wisdom in a comment below.