Why Knowing Your Fear Archetype Can Change Your Life

Do you have a big dream? A God given vision? An incredible life goal that gets you excited?

Or maybe there is something stirring within your soul – a deep knowing that there is something more for you to do, a great big purpose that you are called to fulfill?

On one hand, the thrill of the infinite possibilities fuels the passion of your dream but without warning, your fears overtake your excitement and paralyse you to move forward.

F.E.A.R – false evidence appearing real.

I’ve been there and as a matter of fact, I struggle with fear even now. But here’s the thing – we all experience fear.

It can’t be avoided.

It is a natural biological mechanism that serves to protect us in times of personal danger.

I’m thankful that if I should encounter a pack of black bears while camping in the Appalachian trail, a healthy dose of fear will trigger a fight or flight response (no doubt the latter – just saying).

But what happens when our fears are exaggerated? Overreactive? Counterproductive? Instead of protecting us, they limit us – causing us to cower and retreat instead of pursuing our dreams.

Fear Not

Throughout the Bible, God commands us to fear not and do not fear.

When we trust in His unending love for us, His abiding presence in our lives, and His sovereign power, all fear is cast out through the power of perfect love (1 John 4:18).

Easy… right?

Well… yes and no.

God’s love is indeed perfect but we are not. We have doubts that feed our fear. Fortunately, we do not need to remain bound by our fears. We have the ability to choose courage over fear.  But to do more of the former, we need to uncover how the role of fear plays out in our lives.

Why is this so critical?

Because the dialogue we repeat in our minds – the one that tells us…

“you can never do that”

“your voice does not matter”

“you’ll make a fool of yourself”

… is predicated on fear.

But there is good news.

God has given us the gift to moderate our fears. Through our thoughts, we have the ability to overcome our unhealthy, self limiting fears by the decisions we make and the actions we take.

The Fear Archetypes

In Do it Scared: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Adversity, and Create a Life You Love – Ruth Soukup, a New York Times best selling author, drills down to 7 Fear Archetypes that each of us embody in varying degrees. The Procrastinator, Rule Follower, Excuse Maker, Outcast, Self-Doubter, Pessimist, and People Pleaser.

I took the Do it Scared premium assessment to uncover how my fears might be holding me back. My top three turned out to be – Rule Follower (63%), Excuse Maker (63%), and Procrastinator (57%).

Ugh. That hurt.

But, it isn’t all bad. In fact, each fear archetype displays a unique set of characteristics – both positive and negative, that can help us achieve our dreams or ultimately hinder our progress.

So what is Ruth’s pathway to creating a life you love?

1. Know your fears

The first step to facing our fears begins with knowing our fears.

As a Rule Follower I like things to be done the ‘right’ way. If there is a tried and true way of doing something, why fix what’s not broken? I’m loyal to those in authority and I’m loyal to the plan – sometimes at the cost of switching things up and venturing outside the box. I strive to maintain order and predictability in my life which means uncertainty, disorder and chaos – no thanks!

Several years ago however, I left the well beaten path of my established career to pursue my big, audacious, God given vision – to launch a non medical home care agency.

Talk about wading the turbulent  waters of uncertainty, discomfort, and FEAR.

It has been challenging to say the least. Soukup suggests finding an accountability partner who does not share the same fear archetype to support me during the rough patches. Someone who can provide an alternative outlook and perspective to the rules that may be holding me back.

2. Choose courage

Next, Soukup describes 7 Principles of Courage and challenges us to consider the ways we can begin to choose courage everyday.

Imagine if we dare to think big, always own it, and just keep going…there is no limit to what we can do!

My ‘aha’ moment occurred when I gave myself grace to believe there are no mistakes, only lessons. Because, for too long, I have allowed my mistakes to define what I can and can not do. The shame of a mistake was enough to make me retreat and hide.

It turns out, that I’ve had to pivot for a season and put the home care agency on hold to pursue another big, audacious goal – to become a registered  nurse.

And on cue, the dialogue begins…

“ha ha, you started something you can’t finish“

“obviously you heard the Lord wrong“

“that didn’t work, you really had no business trying anyway“

But it hasn’t been a big mistake, it’s been many lessons learned to develop the gifts and skills God has placed inside me. So instead of throwing it all away as loss, I remember the promises Jesus has spoken to my heart and the gentle reminders He has given me to trust Him and lean not on my own understanding (Prov 3:5).

Instead of shrinking back, I choose courage.

3. Take action

Lastly, Soukup shows us that once we adopt the principles of courage and work to change our mindset, we are ready to take action – the ultimate antidote to fear.

Ruth encourages us to claim our target, create our action plan, form our own truth club with people who challenge us to become better and stop comparing ourselves to others.

In this season, I am in the ‘messy middle’ of pursuing my big, crazy dreams. Finding my why is another important action Soukup recommends. It is the reason I keep going when the thrill of starting a new thing dissipates and disappointments, setbacks, and challenges weary me. I remember my deepest desire is to fulfill God’s perfect plan for my life and provide for the needs of my family.

So I keep going…

What about you?

If fear is holding you back from pursuing your big, crazy, audacious dream, try the Do it Scared fear assessment to identify your fear archetype and learn the real role of fear in your life. You can also grab your copy of Do it Scared on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as audible to dig even deeper.

As Ruth points out, the one fate worse than the fear of failure is regret – never moving beyond your comfort zone to even try. But rest assured, God has a plan for your life that is exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that you can ever ask or imagine according to His power at work within you (Eph 3:20).

So choose courage friend and do it scared!