What’s preventing you from experiencing an authentic life? It usually begins with doubt. Doubt that grows into fear and fear is nothing but an illusion. What you believe will take you to where you end up. We only deceive ourselves by falling into those imaginary traps. If believing something is true when it isn’t, we ultimately pay a price. So we live with our hang-ups and this prevents us from becoming the best version of who we can be.
As long as you stay entrapped, you will be unable to live the dream, to engage a great life, and to dwell in your truth. How can you even pursue your passion when you can’t move beyond the fear? We spend too much time running from our fears forgetting we’re not only running from fears alone, but from everything else in life. Because fear attaches itself to everything. Everything you ever wish, dream, and hope for, comprises some element of fear, notably with any opportunity. So you run… run from love, run from relationships, run from a dream job, running in circles, until you end up where? Stuck somewhere you shouldn’t be.
Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure.
When stuck, we miss out by failing to explore, missing the essential adventure. We overlook, ignore, and disregard what we truly want and need. The more we run, the more fears develop. We create the things we fear the most by claiming, declaring, and speaking it aloud. Why do we do this? To reflect on fear is one thing, to speak, and express fear is another story… perhaps, another blog post.
When we affirm what’s irrational and senseless, we give the phobia a life. This develops into an entity as it takes shape and form ultimately becoming our obstacle. This negative energy infringes on the quality of life, invading not only our sense of peace but also the way we lead our lives. We virtually disappear, fade into some kind of obscure backdrop, inhibited, discouraged, and defeated. How can we move forward when what we conceived through an active imagination restrains us? How can we move ahead when our fears keep pushing us back?
Afraid to take a chance, hesitant to make that important call, unwilling to face what we must face, and do what we must do. What if you decided to just lay down the law? Step into the self-imposed fear and embody the change you want and deserve. Know you have a special purpose. Stop the lies you continuously tell yourself… the lies about not being strong enough, smart enough, and good enough. Enough!
Trust you have what it takes to step away from the fear and into a calm acceptance. You have the means and the ability to do whatever you wish. When you stay in the fear zone you give up a happy life because you aren’t living an authentic life. Where do we even begin?
Here are five steps to fear management:
F Face the fear by focusing on the now.
E Engage it, picture the episode, and spin it around in your favor. Visualize how it will look and how it will feel to conquer and overcome it.
A Accept the unpleasant emotion as nothing but a playful imagination tricking you into thinking something exists when it doesn’t.
R Run toward what you fear the most. As uncomfortable as it is, why are you staying in what you interpret to be a comfort zone that really isn’t too comfortable?
S Step into your fear by controlling your thoughts. This exercise will empower you to succeed.
You are in charge of your thoughts, choices, and actions.
Now move out of your way, step boldly toward your dream, believing what you fear is only how you choose to think.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.