The major things we fear, such as plane crashes, or terrorist attacks, or terrible diseases, are awful if they happened. Yet, we are far more likely to be injured by falling in a bathtub or riding in a car, but we don’t fear those things to a degree that they keep us from bathing or leaving the house. When we waste our time and energy fearing terrible things, we create more heartache and hardships for ourselves.
That is not to say that fear doesn’t play a fundamental role in our lives. We are all genetically predisposed to fear. It’s how we learned to survive as a species. But as modern humans we don’t need to be slaves to our fears. We can rise above them.
There is an inherent danger in walking across a street. Knowing the danger is there and taking precautions before crossing is far different than not crossing the road at all because there might be a danger. Like many everyday dangers in our lives, we learned at an early age how to handle them. If we look both ways before we cross the street then the likelihood of being hit by a car is drastically reduced.
Knowing the dangers and taking precautions before proceeding can go a long way in alleviating fear. What helps even more is facing the emotion you might have if your fear comes true, then examining why you are scared of it. Face that potential feeling and then move past it. Every time you consciously move past fear you gain more confidence. This allows you to act with inspiration rather than fear. Susan wrote, “You are in control. Each time you find yourself in better control of your life you are moving to a position of power, which will ultimately reduce your fear level.”
Everyone experiences fear. Even people who seem fearless, who are out exploring the world or performing dangerous jobs, experience fear. Fear is a part of life, but many people are still living fully realized lives in spite of it. So remember:
If everybody feels fear when approaching something totally new in life,
yet so many are out there “DOING IT” despite the fear,
then we must conclude that fear is not the problem.