While I’m in Washington D.C. giving two Energy Leadership workshops, I’ve asked a few fabulous bloggers to step in. Today’s post is by Elisa Haggarty

Think about all the things that trigger fear in you. For some, it might be heights, trying tofu, being around big dogs, or riding a bicycle.

Riding a bicycle?

For a while the thought of getting back on a bicycle made me well up with fear and anxiety. It has been five years since I was in a pretty serious bike accident—one that took me out of commission for at least four weeks of physical activity and took a toll on me emotionally and mentally for a long time after the bruises faded.

Since the bike accident, I had a lot of excuses as to why getting back on a bike wasn’t possible. After all, I lived on a small island for the past two years in southeast Asia, was always traveling and besides, running has always been my “go to” workout fix.

Since recently landing in Brooklyn, I’ve come to realize the joys of hopping on a bicycle and exploring the neighborhood again. The streets are quiet (minus the occasional gospel outbreak which I thoroughly enjoy) and there are a ton of parks where Kathy and I can cruise until sundown.

What does all this fear talk have to do with Hanna’s blog which is geared towards wellness and weight loss?

Well, if you take a look at what fear does to you on the emotional level and how much it stimulates your stress hormone (cortisol), it’s pretty evident that if you want optimal health, you have to address your fears.

No amount of leafy greens is going to balance you out if you are constantly living in fear and your cortisol levels are through the roof. More importantly, you have to experience the joys of looking fear in the face and taking the high road. 

For me, conquering my fears has been more than getting back on a bicycle.

Two years ago, it was getting on a plane and flying 8,000 miles to Hong Kong. Soon after, it was spending 10 days in silence at a Taiwainese monastery. Both of these acts reduced me to tears.

Tears are okay. In fact, they are a great sign you are onto something great and you just need to keep pushing on!

Just recently, it was leaving everything that was “secure” in the teaching world with insurance/retirement/consistent paychecks and taking the leap of faith to turn over a new leaf and pursue what I believe I was put on this earth to do: to inspire and help others heal. 

There are big changes for me coming up. The date is set and my new company/brand will be launching on October 1st. 

I am beyond scared.

This has required me to do things that are completely new to me and out of my comfort zone. For instance, I’ve had to get over my own ego and jump in front of a camera to create video content for my website. That alone was terrifying to me on so many levels.

But I did it. I got out of my own way, conquered my fears of getting in front of the camera, and let my light shine. This was an important step on the path to providing resources, recipes and knowledge on how to achieve your ideal health/weight/happiness.

This is something that I believe strongly to be YOUR BIRTHRIGHT. We aren’t meant to crawl to the finish line people. We can arrive with the same amount of optimism, happiness and sense of adventure as we carried when we first started this thing.

What is your fear? What will you conquer this week?

Elisa Haggarty received her Professional Holistic Health Coaching training at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and has started training at The Natural Gourmet Institute, the number one culinary school for health supportive cooking in the country. Her focus is health supportive cooking and consulting through a whole foods organic diet.

She has studied over 100 different dietary theories  from some of the best minds in nutrition and functional medicine. Recognizing there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to nutrition and wellness, she designs personal treatment plans for her clients that include dietary and lifestyle upgrades designed specifically for them.

Teaching others about food and healing is Elisa’s passion. She loves experimenting with new ingredients/recipes to see how it can help to transform the human body from deprivation to abundance. Her purpose is to help people achieve their health goals, rejuvenate their life through whole foods cooking, and in the process, enjoy some delicious recipes that feed the mind, body and soul.

Read Elisa’s blog at www.elisahaggarty.blogspot.com/. Her new website, Culinary Farmacy, a hub for food and healing (and more!) goes live on October 1. Find it at culinaryfarmacy.com/.

Photo by www.freedigitalphotos.net