Nine months have flown by since I wrapped up my long walk across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. Life’s been a whirlwind with family stuff, moving into a new place, and kicking off my coaching business (again!). Amid the chaos, another dose of COVID gave me a chance to sit back and think about what that walk really meant to me.
I’d been dreaming of doing the Camino for about 10 years. I wanted to be a person who faces fear and goes for it, who doesn’t let fear hold them back. Quite a tall order for just a walk, albeit, a really long one.
When I reached the end at the Santiago Cathedral, I didn’t feel like this totally changed person. Sure, I was proud, but the new me wasn’t obvious, well, not right away. It took a few months for me to notice little changes – a newfound strength, confidence in my decisions.
I used to say, “I’ll give this a go” or “I’ll try.” But now, that Yoda quote on my computer screen, “Do or do not, there is no try,” finally makes sense. I stopped making excuses and started challenging myself. What was really holding me back from doing things I’d always dreamt of? It was fear – fear of looking dumb, fear of failing, fear of being too successful.
Remembering a morning walk through a dark forest on the Camino, I realized I was scared for no real reason. I invited fear to walk beside me, accepted it. It became more like a guide, helping me figure out what to worry about and what to ignore.
Now, facing the fear of launching my coaching business and putting myself out there on social media, I’m drawing on the lessons from that forest walk. Many of the coaches I work with feel the same fear. My own experiences are turning into tools and empathy to help them. Just like on the Camino, fear is shifting from an enemy to a buddy, making the road ahead seem less scary for both me and the coaches I’m working with. This blog post is my way of saying, “Hey, I’m taking that step forward,” proving that even with fear, we can make it happen – not just for me but for the coaches I’m helping on their journeys.