The Only Way Out Is Through it!

By Kathy Eppley

Wow! The wild ride on Wall Street, all the ups and downs of the market and dire warnings of turbulence ahead, keeps reminding me of a flight I was on many years ago which was, to say the least, one panic provoking, rough ride.

You see, at that time I was terrified of flying, suffered from panic attacks and was totally afraid of heights. So it was with much anxiety and trepidation that I flew at all but on this one occasion I had convinced myself that I could do it.

And it was a smooth flight, everything was fine, right up until the moment the Captain came on the intercom and said...

"Buckle up, we are in for some really bad turbulence from a storm up ahead."

He said he was sorry but we could not get around it or over it or under it and that we could not turn back so the only way to get out of it, our only option, was to go through it!

Go Through It? I thought, no way! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Was he kidding? I did not want to go through it! And if the truth be told, really before the first bump I was pretty much in full blown panic mode.

My massive fear of flying came roaring back. I was sure we were doomed and reacted accordingly, white knuckle clutching the seat and gasping for breath. And boy, did it get rough; we were bouncing all over the sky.

I was sitting in the last row of seats, hanging on in sheer terror. One of the flight attendants was struggling to make her way up the aisle to the back of the plane. Not a good sign I thought as I was sure she was only trying to get to the tail section of the plane because it was supposedly the safest place to be if we went down.

It was so bumpy and the turbulence so bad it even knocked her off her feet a couple of times. When she reached me, she looked down and clearly observed my distress. With genuine concern she put her hand on my shoulder and asked, "What's the matter with you?" And, I gasped out, "I'm afraid we're going to crash!"

I will never forget the look on her face, as she leaned down and put her face right in my face and yelled, "Well, we're all afraid of that!" And with a look that screamed "Get a grip!" she proceeded to buckle herself into her jump seat.

I was stunned! Shocked! Totally taken aback! It absolutely was not what I expected to hear. She so altered my state that she jolted me right out of my panic and fear. And quite surprisingly I felt better. I really felt okay.

Just knowing I was not alone actually made me feel better. I could breathe again. I was not alone; we were all in it together, we were all afraid. My emotions were validated (well, maybe, not all of them).

Best of all, in just a few minutes we broke right through the storm. The captain was right. The only way out was through it. And on the other side of all that turbulence there were beautiful clear skies and smooth flying. It was great! What a relief!

Now, here's hoping that whatever you face, whether it's a bailout on Wall Street or you stretching past your comfort zone trying to take your business and/or life to the next level, just know it's okay to be afraid. You are not alone, we're all afraid. And don't lose sight of the fact that sometimes the best way out, maybe even the only option, is to just go through it!


Kathy Eppley, Income Acceleration Coach and Law of Attraction Expert, will inspire, empower, motivate, and educate YOU to stretch beyond perceived boundaries, take action and get results far beyond what YOU thought possible. She understands the challenges YOU face today and knows how to give YOU the edge that will move your Business and Income ahead in quantum leaps. Contact Kathy at kathy@astoundyourself.com. www.astoundyourself.com

Published Networking Today November 2008