Warning: The word shit is used a little, but it’s all good.

You read the title of this post, thought to yourself, “Yeah, right,” but clicked on it anyway.

You’ve got a vision, dream, or desire. Even if you aren’t “woo-woo,” you’ve got a big idea floating around waiting to creep out.

Many times our next big thing is a transition or change that propels us forward. Transitioning towards our passion is so stinking exciting. When we give yourself permission to think about it, we get excited butterflies in our stomachs and can feel the boundless possibilities. Transitions prompt us to grow, evolve and expand.

We’ll fly higher than our potential.

The flip side of transitions is that they can also be scary as hell. They are notorious for bringing up doubts, worries, and stresses. Transitions cause all sorts of fierce doubt to surface making us feel like there is no freaking way we can do it. We begin to question everything.

Is it safe?

Will it work out?

How much money is at stake?

What if I try and fall flat on my face?

That clear picture of, “Yes! This is what I want,” gets so murky once we’re overwhelmed with doubt. Being overwhelmed is the kryptonite for ambitious woman. We’ve got great ideas, ready to take the leap forward. We have created a to-do list but when it comes time to step off the curb and actually make it happen, we freeze.

Fear can make us feel frozen because it is our natural instinct to stay safe and comfortable. It’s our biological nature to flee from our stresses and fears. The unknown is scary.

I’m here to give you the good news, being scared shitless is actually a good thing.

The truth is that all that crap (the fear, worry, self-doubt stuff) is a good sign. What?! Really, it’s true.

When it’s scary, it pushes us to grow and truly step into our potential. Once that panic point sets in, it is actually a positive sign that we are on the precipice of something really good, delicious in fact!

Ready to take a leap?

When you are standing on a cliff looking down on the possibility of doing that big scary thing, the first step is to breathe. Seriously though, try this and you’ll never be scared again:

• Close your eyes and picture your vision, whether it’s a safari in Africa, a new health coaching business, or buying your dream home. Visualize yourself in it—watching the giraffe eating leaves, shaking hands with the new client, or cooking turkey chili in your dream kitchen.
• Now that you’ve got the picture, hold onto it and breathe. Inhale deep chest filling breaths, the kind where you can actually feel your blood pressure decrease and the butterflies in your stomach disappear.
• Ask yourself, would it be scarier to stay and never, ever experience your vision or to take the leap? Listen for the answer, then breathe.
• If you’ve decided that taking a leap would be the best option for you, think about what’s the one next step you need to take to bring yourself closer to living in your vision.
• Taking just one next step gets us far enough out of our comfort zone that we are pushing ourselves to grow but still safe enough that we can step back onto the comfort zone of the cliff if we need to.

You’re going to be faced with tough shit. Your life can drastically change at any moment. Will you jump off the cliff or stay in the same spot forever? You begin to freak out because deep down you know that what you are about to do is possible. The truth is, we don’t grow by doing what we know, we grow by stepping into the unknown to truly shine in our magnificence.

Being scared shitless is great; it means something awesome is about to happen.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

Apprentice Editor: Alicia Wozniak / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Javier Morales/flickr