Realistic manifestation:

The Heart of Fear

What you tell yourself shapes your beliefs, which drives your behaviours, which shapes your reality. In this three-part series, integrative health coach Rosie Underwood tells us that successful manifestation starts with learning to follow your heart.

In life, we tend to think that fear is an indicator of danger. When we start feeling fearful, the default reaction among most humans is to back up, make a swift U-turn and run in the opposite direction. But what if we learn to think of fear as a tool capable of building us up and making us stronger?

“Being brave and entering new territory doesn’t require confidence, it creates confidence”, Rosie insists, “Confident people don’t live without experiencing fear. They feel the fear and use it as a road map to their desires.”

In other words, these people feel fear, recognise it for what it is and move forward anyway.

Everywhere from literature to films to fairy tales, the protagonist who faces down something scary has ‘courage’. But are they born with courage or is it something they’ve acquired by learning to face and overcome their fears?

The word courage comes from the Latin word cor, meaning heart. “Moving from a heart-centred place, the centre of your compassion, is a sign you’re doing the right thing”, Rosie says. “Follow it – that’s your inner compass!”

While we often associate the heart with mushy sentimentality and romance, don’t be fooled. The heart is strong, and arguably the most intuitive part of your body. So when you’re trying to imagine a new future for yourself, don’t be put off if some of your dreams are big and the path to achieving them seems scary. When your heart beats a bit faster from a feeling of fear, harness that and use it to build your own stockpile of courage.