Flip Your Fears! 7 Steps for Ultimate Success (in Anything)
Guest Post By Kelly Mishell & Kathleen Guthrie Woods:
Kelly, a mindset coach, and Kathleen, a writer, worked together when Kathleen was in the final stages of a years-long creative project—and hit a wall. Kelly came up with a brilliant exercise that helped Kathleen work through and release her doubts, and ultimately fly across the finish line. We had a conversation recently about what we discovered, the steps to take to make this process your own, and examples on how this will help you thrive when you most need a boost toward achieving your dreams.
KGW: It was back in 2020, and I was getting ready to make the final edits on my latest book. The doubts, the fears, the cycles of “I have no idea what I’m doing!” thoughts were taking over, and I started to think my best plan of action was running the whole thing through the shredder. Somehow, in all this mental mess, you saw an opportunity.
KM: I did! I saw you heading toward a rabbit hole that so many people get sucked into during the creation process. That rabbit hole is “negative self-talk,” and it has the potential to shut us down.
KGW: Even when we know logically that none of that negativity is real or true, it’s hard to 100% tune out any trash-talk. And I wasn’t the first person to come to you with this issue. What did you hear from others?
KM: When stepping into uncharted territory, the human mind goes into safety and protection mode. Inevitably, thoughts of doubt and fear come up as a mechanism to keep you in your safe, little bubble. This is when you might begin to question the worth or value of a creative idea. (“Will anyone actually want to buy this?”) Another layer is you may have been conditioned in the past to feel guilty or selfish when you devote time to a passion project. It’s not unusual to worry about how others will perceive or judge you, despite the internal GPS that’s pointing you in this new direction.
KGW: You nailed this in me, as I definitely needed help getting my mojo back.
KM: The exciting part is we can use the negative self-talk as a launching pad, it can take us to greater heights.
KGW: That sounds almost too good to be true, but I know where you’re going. Let’s get into how we first encountered the issue and then addressed it.
KM: So, in our earliest coaching session, I listened to you recite what you thought were legit fears, and I knew you needed to face down those fears before you could proceed with your work. Not just face your fears but flip them. In other words, take a close look at that negative language, rewrite them to communicate the exact opposite, and use those new statements as affirmations to move you forward.
Here are the steps:
1. Gather paper and pen, or open a fresh screen on your laptop or phone.
2. Get yourself into a quiet place, where you won’t be interrupted. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself.
3. Without thinking too much, write out every single fear that comes to mind about your goal or project. List them in the left side of your page, leaving room on the right side or just underneath each entry. Don’t censor yourself or edit, just write! Maybe you set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, though it’s important you get all of these out of your system and down on the page. You may come back to it later as others pop into your head.
4. Re-center yourself. Maybe take a few new breaths, get up and stretch or move around a bit, or come back to your list with a fresh perspective on a different day.
5. Consider each entry and, in the blank space next to or underneath it, write the opposite.
KGW: “Write the opposite.” This changed my life! Here’s an example from my list:
“No one cares about my story” became “My story is going to open minds and hearts and help people heal.”
KM: That’s it exactly. You mentioned earlier you thought “I don’t know what I’m doing!” and that could be flipped into “The Universe is my Co-Creator, and the right edits will be revealed.” Another example might be “My deadlines are impossible!” and you flip it to “I trust I have all the time I need” or “This is so doable!” And “I’m afraid of failing” might become, simply, “My faith is stronger than my fear.”
KGW: I love that! I am putting that on my own list of affirmations.
KM: Do it! So the next steps:
6. Return to your list and fine-tune your affirmations until they feel right. They must be believable to you. Create a targeted affirmation for each fear you’ve listed.
7. Now—ditch the list of fears! Type up just your affirmations, post them where you can see them regularly, and whenever you feel even the tiniest bit of negativity creeping in, re-read your list.
KGW: This is exactly what I did. After we completed all these steps, I added this practice to my morning routine. Before I even opened up my laptop, I read through my entire list of flipped affirmations—out loud to myself. Feeling fired up and invincible, I then got to work.
KM: Flipping your fears and turning them into affirmations will most definitely help you shift how you think and how you feel. It’s so empowering!
Author Bios
Kelly Mishell is an ICF-certified mindset coach, energy healer, inspirational speaker, and published author. She empowers men and women to break free of self-limitation, rediscover their inner spark of greatness, and create the joyful lives they desire and deserve. Kelly trained at the Quantum Success Coaching Academy and has a Remote Healing Mastery certification. She has written for Aspire Magazine and is a co-author of the best-selling book Shine! Dream Big, Fear Less, and Blaze Your Own Trail. Find out more at www.KellyMishell.com.
Freelance writer Kathleen Guthrie Woods is the author of The Mother of All Dilemmas, one of Katie Couric Media’s “37 Life-Changing Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down”. She has been a featured guest on the Crazy Amazing Humans, 19Stories, and YES I CAN Living podcasts. See what she’s up to at www.KathleenGuthrieWoods.com.
