Fear of the Unknown: Thoughts From Red Sunflower Farm

Curious Questions from Observing the Everyday 

Fear of the Unknown

Recently, at an outdoor yoga class, I noticed a carpenter bee. She was doing her thing, boring holes in the wood. But unfortunately, she was also making the entire class nervous.

“No worries,” I said to my fellow classmates. “She just wants to hang out with the wood.”

I resumed my intentional breathing and focused on re-centering myself. As I did so, the carpenter bee landed on my shirt. She surprised me. I saw her legs moving and instantly felt nervous.

Reminding myself of the words I’d just shared with the group, I took a deep breath, grounded myself, and mentally thanked the bee for coming. The bee calmed down, too. We hung out together for a few moments in an unexpected and sweet moment. I smiled and said a prayer of thanks for all the beauty and beings in our marvelous, magical world. She reminded me: Love is all around us.

Later that day, I reflected on the moment — not just our peaceful coexistence but the fear from my classmates and that brief, passing moment of nervousness that I felt when she first landed on me.

It’s so easy for us to fear the unknown and the misunderstood.

But knowledge informs behavior. When we know and understand reality, we are better prepared to move through our fear and nervousness and come out the other side. MACKEY’s VP of Prosper for Business Services, Jen DuBois, recently wrote on our blog about the first 90 days of the Prosper program. Our approach to financial coaching for business owners has the ability to transform, but it requires a lot of trust and vulnerability.

As our team digs through the financials of a business, many owners briefly experience feelings of panic. Fear of what we might uncover. Will we discover a bleaker financial picture than anticipated?

But taking a deep breath and grounding oneself in the process allows the individual to push through — beyond the feelings and discomfort — to the transformative and exciting part of the journey.

I’ll leave you with these curious questions:

What about my business do I avoid because of fear?

What is the worst that could happen if I faced those fears?

How might I transform my business if I take a deep breath and face the things that scare me the most?