Fighting Fear

"Your fear is your limit. Your potential is infinite."

We create our own fears. Oftentimes, these mental barriers are the only walls on the way to achieving goals. Fear vibrates at a lower frequency and can literally serve as heavy ballast that pulls us back as we try to take off in search of new heights and adventures. How can we drop the unnecessary weight that does not benefit us in any way?

I used to struggle with the concept of fighting fear myself. Uncertainty is scary, while we find security in what we perceive as safe and familiar. Why choose to gamble away the comfort of safety in exchange for just a glimpse of opportunity? Why take a chance when the odds of losing and winning are even?

We fear to make a mistake, we fear to fail, and we fear to lose the things that we are accustomed to. We fear to let go of "the old" in search of "the new" that is unknown, uncertain, and therefore, frightening. These are the reasons why millions of people deliberately choose to take a detour around their dreams. As a result, so many dreams remain dreams, the simple "what if " statements, the unfulfilled wishes in the dreamland of lost opportunities. Wouldn't life be better without personal fears? How do we step outside of our comfort zone in order to grow and advance forward?

Avoiding fears is not an option, as it will only make them scarier. Since we create our own fears, we have the inner power to overcome them. Every fear one holds is the fear of the self. There can be nothing within you that does not correspond to something outside of yourself, so the projected fears that you hold are actually tethered to you by your own need to be afraid. You can decide to cut these little cords that hold you back and align beyond them. You are in charge to decide for yourself if you need fear to stay safe.

Many choose to hide behind their fears using the excuse of safety. There is no safety, never really. The future is uncertain and unknown. Every day is just a sequence of different moments strung together, and each of these moments evaporates as quickly as it comes. Perceiving each day as a new beginning, learning to trust your inner voice and making a choice to live without regrets is a pretty good start.

Don't look back and judge yourself, it is better to ask if you learned anything from the unfavorable outcome. Acknowledge the little victories, one hundred pennies make up a dollar. No one knows what it is like to be you. Your journey is unique to you and you only. Whatever you fear, face it, accept it as a personal challenge and choose your own way of dealing with it. Once you face that fear, it will start to fade.

Reprogramming your long-held fears and underlying presumptions is a huge task at hand and may not be the easiest exercise with which to begin. Instead, I find it easier to start monitoring the mind and catching the new incoming fears, the little seeds in the thoughts that have not developed into the mental barriers just yet. Picture a huge fire burning over your head that you can easily turn on and off using your awareness. Whenever a fearful thought comes to mind, direct it towards the fire and watch it burn and disappear in the smoke. Burn all your fearful thoughts, simply do not allow for them to settle in as they emerge. This practice can assist with altering the overall perception of fear. Unexpectedly, one might realize that s/he does not require the alignment with the vibration of fear anymore.

What are my fears? They are mental illusions, the excuses I keep to support my "I can't" statements, the limitations preprogrammed into the mind that keep me from believing that I'm worthy, the parasites in the brain that prevent me from exploring my full potential. Yes, I'm angry at my fears! Yes, this anger gives me power and inner courage to overcome them!

Anger and courage are great in replacing fear. Find the courage to explore life. Focus on discovering the different parts of yourself and your unique personality by allowing and welcoming the new experiences into your life. Prepare to fall and not be disappointed. Get angry at failure and use that active energy to try over and over again. Each time you fail, you learn; and therefore, each time you rise, you rise wiser, stronger and fiercer.

Do I learn and grow on a personal level? Do I strive to master living without regrets? Can I grasp the value of every attempt and every lesson among the way? How efficient is the portfolio of my experiences? These are the questions one might ask in order to recognize if s/he is moving and advancing forward, as forward is the only way to follow the current of life.

Life never stands still. Change is a part of our existence and flows through each one of us as we struggle to align with the current of destiny in the rocky river of life. Do not be afraid to let go of "the old" in order to make space for "the new." Accept the fact that change is a natural component of life and should not be feared. Stop focusing attention on what could possibly go wrong; instead, get excited about everything that is going to turn out right. A lifetime does not last forever. Every experience is a gift, an episode that takes place in your own movie. You laugh, you cry, you learn and move forward, always forward, down the stream of life.