Face Your Fears; Find Your Courage

by Nance Schick in Pre-Litigation Counsel

When Josh was a child, his older sibling was physically, emotionally and verbally abusive. The sibling also put him in situations where he was sexually abused by the sibling’s friend. Yet they are family, and Josh was often dependent on his sibling. He admired and loved her, yet he feared her. So when she threatened to put him out of a moving car for singing, he stopped singing–even “Happy Birthday.”

The Conflict

Josh as an adult now disagrees with his “inner child” about the choice to never sing again.

The Interests

He wants to fully experience all of life’s offerings and to be self-expressed in all areas of his life. He hates his fear of singing and wants to release it.

The Possibilities

If he could have this conflict resolve perfectly, he would sing with confidence and enjoy the community that is sometimes created in a spontaneous group song. He would sing “Happy Birthday” in a way that truly generates love and celebration. he would be free of one more irrational fear.

The Actions

Josh located a voice coach who understands and has experience with people who have “lost their voices.” He attended “The Natural Singer” and, for the first time in nearly 30 years, he sang fearlessly, or with less fear. Solo. In front of a group of people. Where he could be seen and heard.

The Future

Josh has no plans to audition for “The Voice,” but he might take a few lessons, and he will definitely sing greetings to his loved ones. (That might be more difficult than singing with strangers!) In the spirit of being on PARR, he is also planning a skydiving adventure, will take action in the spring, will revise his plan after he has completed the dive, and will repeat his fearlessness process by confronting another fear (e.g., dancing, public speaking, asking for what he wants, committing to a partnership).

Nance L. Schick, Esq. is a mediator, and conflict resolution coach based in New York City, where she works with creative professionals, entrepreneurs, human resources professionals, labor managers, risk managers, and executives to generate results beyond the boundaries of their imaginations. She is committed to creating a unified human race by empowering people to have lives they forgot were possible.