At this time of year we dress up and pretend to be Ghosts, Goblins, Witches and such. We go to haunted houses and scare ourselves and others. We attend scary movies and sit there in fear of what is about to happen. We invite all of our friends over and have contests to see who has the best costume, or will eat the strangest things. We do this all in the name of fun, because we know that it is not real. It is only pretend.
But, what is it that truly scares us? What are the things in life that you are afraid of?
What is the real definition of fear anyway? I have heard it in several ways, but one that sticks out to me is “False Evidence Appearing Real”.
For many of us, we have fears due to things that have happened in our past. Such as, for me, after being in a car accident last month, I found myself fearing someone else might hit me and worrying about how others were driving and how much distance they were keeping between us. Another fear that developed for me was after being attacked in the dark when I was a teenager. I still have fear that will manifest when I am alone after dark. I also have had a fear for a long time of being accepted or the fear of not belonging.
I know that all of these fears are more in my head than an actual possibility. Yes, there is a possibility that another car could crash into me, or I could be attacked in the dark and I could attend something where I was not accepted or did not belong. But I also know that I could walk out of my house in a rain storm and be hit by lightning, or be struck by a car while crossing the street. But that does not stop me from dancing in the rain or crossing the street to go hangout at the mall.
So my question for all of us is this: “Why do we choose to let our personal fears rule our lives and stop us from progressing forward?” I encourage you to stop right now and ponder what are the fears in your life that are controlling you? What do you think it is costing you in your life? Perhaps it is money, maybe relationships, your social life, your employment, how you parent, or even your health and wellness.
It has been said, “As a man thinketh, so is he.” We literally create our own reality by the things that we think, the words we speak and the choices that we make. We are CREATING OUR REALITY!
Is your reality what you want it to be? Life does not have to be scary. We do not have to live in worry and fear. Once we decide that it is a choice and we have the ability to choose what we want it to be, we can embrace our opportunities to live a life where All Things are Possible.
Living in Fear is literally a choice. Fear is an Emotion not an event. You can choose how you decide to feel and what emotion you want to embrace. I encourage you to dig deep and see what emotions you are choosing in your life and what you are choosing to be afraid of. Decide now to live your life on purpose and be in control of your fears rather than your fears and emotions control you.
“It is the little things that we do on a consistant basis that will ultimately change your life!”—Kris Barney
Kris Barney