Book Review: Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, by Susan Jeffers

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway
Susan Jeffers, Ph,D

I had an intern with a fear of birds. We had a stuffed pheasant donated and it really rattled her feathers! Every day, as she came up the stairs to what was my apartment/office, I would holler: "Touch the bird, Sherry!" At first, she wouldn't touch it, but gingerly she made her way to tapping it slightly. Eventually, she would hop up the stairs, and, with no prompting, give the stuffed pheasant a pat on the way by.

This is the concept of "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway."

We teach our LifeChange residents to do the right thing. The right thing is usually defined as the most difficult of the two choices. It requires more effort, physically, emotionally, or both. It often requires more grace and humility.

"Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway."

I listened to a one-CD audio version of the book, which doesn't state that it is abridged, but made me wonder, as it is a primer written in layman's language. But maybe that is the point. You don't need 99 steps to conquering fear. You just need the determination to admit your feelings and move forward in spite of them.

What do you fear today?