Editor’s note: Michelle Poler, a creative and passionate social entrepreneur, fear-facer, and branding strategist, will be the closing keynote speaker at the ISACA Conference North America 2021, a virtual event to take place 4-6 May. Born in Venezuela, Poler is the founder of Hello Fears, a social movement empowering millions to step outside of the comfort zone and tap into their full potential. Poler recently visited with ISACA Now to discuss dealing with fear, technology’s impact on fear and more. The following is a transcript, edited for length and clarity:
ISACA Now: What motivated you to begin facing your fears?
What motivated me the most to start facing my fears was my desire to live life to the fullest. I realized that I stayed in my comfort zone for way too long, and I was missing out on so many experiences and opportunities because of that. Plus living in New York made it easier because there were so many things that I wanted to do, and that city was full of opportunities and challenges.
ISACA Now: What would be an example of one that was especially hard for you to face?
During the project, I ended up dividing my fears into seven categories:
- Pain
- Danger
- Disgust
- Embarrassment
- Rejection
- Loneliness
- Control
Classifying my fears in these categories helped me understand which challenges are harder for me to face, and which ones I can face a little bit more easily. Taking this into account, what I realized is that the fears that were related to pain, control, and loneliness were the hardest for me, while for other people fears related to rejection or embarrassment would make them cringe much more.
I ended up challenging myself to spend more time alone. I traveled by myself, went to the theater, to a restaurant and to a museum by myself, and I even celebrate my birthday ALL by myself! I ended up learning that I am pretty fun to be around with! I now even enjoy the times when I am alone.
ISACA Now: Has the pandemic caused you to revisit your own fears? If so, in what ways?
This pandemic put me to the test when it came to the fear of letting go of control because, as I answered in the previous question, that is one of my top fears.
Not being able to control my schedule, the course of my career as a speaker, and my near-term future was definitely a challenge for me. I ended up having to let go of the need to control everything around me and focus on the things that I can manage – like my expectations, my priorities, and my schedule (what I do with my time).
ISACA Now: Do you think today’s technology-driven society creates more fear for people?
It is a matter of perspective. We can be intimidated/fearful with so much technology around us, or feel inspired/empowered by it. Personally, I choose to use technology for good, as a way to impact as many people as possible with my message so that it can go beyond any stage.
At the same time, I can see how for the younger generation so much technology and exposure can bring a lot of anxiety and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). That is why I’d like to encourage teenagers to spend more time using social media to create content and explore their creativity, and less time browsing and watching what others are doing.
ISACA Now: You also talk about embracing authenticity. What tends to get in the way of people doing that more often?
Most people care a lot about being liked and belonging, which sometimes can hurt their authenticity. We try so hard to fit in, that we leave outside parts of who we are – we want only to showcase our good side. In reality, we are not only our good side but all of our sides put together. An authentic person is the one that can embrace himself/herself as a whole, and proudly and unapologetically show that to the world.