The Big Black Bear: Addressing Fear and Limiting Beliefs

I’m currently in Boulder, Colorado. I have 25 years of history here, and coming back in the summer is always one of the highlights of my year. Last night, I was driving back from meeting a friend, and as I pulled onto the street where we are staying and in the middle of the road, I saw a huge black bear in my path!

As you can imagine, my heart rate went up, but the bear quickly ran into the darkness as I flashed my headlights.

This morning, I went out on a hike. This is a hike I have done 1000 times. I know it like the back of my hand. Well, I was on the last part of the trail before popping out onto the road, and 12 feet in front of me, there was another (or maybe the same) bear on the trail. At first, I panicked and didn’t move. The bear saw me. And as we locked eyes, the bear ran in the opposite direction. PHEW! I slowly backed up to an opening a few hundred feet, took a deep breath, and picked an alternative route down.

What in the world? How could I bump into a bear twice in 12 hours?

Making Meaning

Walking down a busier trail and back to the house I’m staying in, I wondered what it all meant. Was the bear trying to tell me something? Is there some symbolism that I need to take away from these two scary moments? I started to think about the characteristics of a bear, and here's what I came up with: Bears are scary but also shy. They have strength, courage, and motherly love to protect their cubs. They're grounded. They're determined to find food in the summer months. They can be aggressive and assertive.

Working Through a Deep and Generational Limiting Thought

Recently, I have been working through a deep and generational limiting thought. The thought is: “I will never have enough because I’m not smart or good enough.” This thought has plagued me most of my life. I practice sitting with the thought daily, feeling it in my body, and trying to see what this thought needs from me. I sit with how it has protected me all these years.  The thought still lives in me, but I’m actively trying to be with it to heal it. As I pondered about these two black bear encounters, here are the meanings I took away:

The Power to Face Fear

Bears and limiting beliefs are big, scary, and intimidating. Just because they feel big, scary, and intimidating doesn’t mean we don’t have power unless we give it away. In both cases, the bear ran away from me instead of toward me, and I was safe.

Strength, Courage, and Vulnerability

Bears have strength and courage, and you know what? So. Do. I. Even with the belief that I don’t have enough in my body, I’m chipping away every day at building a coaching business and being vulnerable to a public audience in a way I've never been before.

Motherly Love

I have so much motherly love that I sometimes can’t contain it. I can count on myself to show up for my kids and, most of the time, be tender and loving. I protect my kids and make them feel safe. That's enough.

Staying Grounded

Like these bears, I can keep my feet on the ground and feel sturdy even when predators are in my path.

Being a Provider

Even though I sometimes feel that I don’t have enough, I've always had enough food, clothes, and a roof over my head. I’m determined to support and provide for my family, like the bear foraging in summer.

So, am I reading too much into these two bear encounters? Probably.  But, after trying to make sense of these two run-ins, the limiting belief of not having enough is starting to release, and ironically, I feel more safe, strong, and connected.  

What scary things have you come across on your path? And why do you think it showed up? Was it to teach you something? Wake you up to the truth? Or, maybe, like me, you realized that something can be really scary, and we can still survive.