"Few people know what it is to live without fear, but beyond fear lies joy." David Hawkins author of Power vs. Force

Fear is quite insidious. It creeps into out lives and stops us from doing the things we want. It keeps us from going for our dreams. It stops us from experiencing things that could really allow us to grow into our greatness. It keeps us from loving fully, ourselves or another. It builds a thick wall between us and the joy of life!

About a year ago, I started working with a young woman in New York City, Kiara Duran. She had moved there after college to become an actress in musical theater. What we discovered during the next few months of coaching was that her heart was drawing her to write as well as perform. She wanted to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter and singer, but fear had stopped her. When she first contacted me, she was not going to auditions, writing or singing. She was working as a receptionist and feeling guilty and powerless about going for her dream.

As we worked through Rhonda Britten's Fearless Living program, she began to understand how fear was keeping her stuck and how fear was protecting her from risk and therefore from going after her dream. It took several months of coaching sessions for her to understand how fear uses our expectations to set us up for resentment and disappointment, which then gives us the excuse to not try again, which allows us to believe that our complaints are justified and so we berate ourselves once again for being less than we know and want to believe is truly possible. Fear is a formidable opponent and not easy to overcome.

Yet what Kiara found, as have so many of my clients, is that fear can be handled. That when you are willing to see things another way, live from your intentions, forgive yourself and others for past mistakes, turn your complaints into something to be grateful for, and acknowledge yourself for every little bitty step along the way, then you find joy. Joy in a form that you never before thought was possible. The kind of joy that you have read about but felt was only available to those who had made it, or who lived an easy or charmed life. Yet, I am here to tell you, that that kind of joy is available to anyone who is willing. Anyone who is willing to take the steps, willing to learn the skills, willing to apply new behaviors, willing to claim your true self, and being committed to your greatness and not your fear.

This week Kiara is releasing her first CD of all original songs and will be showcased at the Song Writer's Hall of Fame in New York. It is a beautiful CD with heartfelt lyrics and music, sung by a beautiful singer. Living her dream is just beginning! It has all been possible because she was willing to address her fear and move beyond it. You can hear the joy in her voice. Her CD will be available on my website in a few weeks. And according to Kiara, she could not have done it without the support of her coach.