If a fist flies straight for your face, what is your first instinct? To duck for dear life? Protect, hide and pull away, far from the punch? I'm learning that in the warrior's ring, if you pull your body away from the propelling power of a punch, you are actually moving deeper into its trajectory, giving it more time to land well. A warrior in the ring learns to abolish all instincts to pull away from the punch. Instead, she pushes her body straight into it. It is only when you lean into your greatest fear that you inch just out of its path, actually too close for impact. One of the greatest lessons I've learned on my journey to ninjahood: The way of the ninja is to head straight for the glove.
Fear is like a chunky, hairy, unshowered samurai with the sharp edge of his sword blocking your path, preventing you from stepping another inch forward. Denying fear only feeds it more power, rather than giving it a simple, "Hey, how the hell are ya? Can I take your coat and sword?" It's like trying to ignore an ex-boyfriend at a party while simultaneously trying to sneak obsessive peaks to see who he's with.
Fear is like the ex in the corner; the more we try to ignore it, stifle it or stuff it away, the more space it consumes in the room. A ninja goes straight to the corner, straight to the core of her fear. What is the worst that can happen? If I do go up to him I might bumble, seem silly and look like I haven't moved on… Okay so he thinks I haven't moved on and have a speech impediment. So then what? I'm thought less of by someone I don't even want to think about anymore?
A valuable ninja lesson I've learned is that metabolizing the absolute worst that can happen is actually a cathartic way to relinquish fear. Tilt into the fear instead of dipping between the ropes, straight out of the ring, because it is only as you continually face all the fists, head for all the dark corners of your fear that the power in them dissolves and you can lay your head down at night knowing no one and nothing owns you. It's been hard, but I'm leaning in and believing. Try it. Embody trust and then live as if no hit could ever keep you down. And you know what? None will.
Until next time...
