One of the things I really enjoy doing on my spare time or when I am attempting to multi-task is listening to podcasts and reading books that exude positivity and motivation. Over the past couple of weeks I feel that no matter where I turn or what I open to read the topic of fear has been following me around (maybe trying to send me some sort of message!?). Since fear has been top of mind for me lately I’ve been thinking of ways to just fully embrace it instead of attempting to run from it. Because, let’s face it, no matter where we go or what we do there will always be an element of fear lurking around us. One thing we have to understand it that fear is a natural emotion and one we cannot completely get rid of. But it is an emotion we can learn to manage so that it does not take over our lives and inhibit us from doing the things we truly want to do.
Shifting our minds to think of fear as a friend rather than an enemy will allow us to dig deep and get a glimpse of where that fear is coming from – sometimes it is an insecurity or a bad past experience. Whatever it may be, if you give fear a chance and hear it out you will be able to learn so much about yourself and when you embrace where the fear is coming from you will undoubtedly grow as a person.
Also, one way to think of your fears is to think of them as you think of your goals and dreams. Goals and dreams are facets of your imagination, they are things that you hope to make a reality (and you will!). Same goes for fear, fear is also a facet of your imagination but the difference is that those are the things that you do not want to become a reality – therefore you stop short of doing things that will get you that much closer to your goals and dreams out of the fear or failure, embarrassment or rejection.
One of the things we can do is take a step back to analyze the worst possible scenario if and when you do go for something you are afraid of doing. I bet that the worst thing that can happen is not that bad (unless you are thinking of jumping off a cliff!). Once you wrap your head around the worst case scenario you will allow yourself to build up the courage to go for whatever it is you have been afraid of going for. But let’s suppose for a second that the worst that could happen actually did happen – in such case use that as a learning experience and grow from that experience. Take some time to understand how you were feeling before, during and after, especially after. The way you feel after will give you so much insight to your strengths and weaknesses – and the more you learn about yourself the better equipped you will be to face your fears.
I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and if you do happen to face your fear and it does not go as planned then maybe the universe is telling you that you are not quite ready but that does not mean to stop trying. It means that you get back to the drawing board and devise a plan to face that fear head on. So, lick your wounds and get back to it!
Your turn! How do you embrace your fears? What tips can you share that you have learned along the way?
