Don't Let Your Fear Stop You, Just Do It

I'm sure you have felt overwhelmed by fear at some point, maybe often. Most of us feel fear to some level or another, which is fine to a degree. When it slows down your forward progress or even stops you, it's been allowed to much power. Your fear feelings only have the power that they do because you have granted it to them at some point, that you are not aware of. Your fears are your thoughts, not from somewhere else. You have the ability to command your thoughts and feelings. When you can take command of your fear thoughts and feelings you are taking a positive step in your personal growth and development. You are making it possible for more forward progress in your life and enhancing you happiness.

When you get the fear feelings based on doubt, worry and uncertainty you choose to allow these thoughts to roil around in your head. You choose how you interpret them and how you react to them. A fearful thought does not come pre-packaged with a specific set of feelings and behavioral commands. Those too are of your choosing.

When you let yourself remain in the fear, you are choosing to have the fear guide your actions. It's a logical progression to react to the fear feelings based on how most of us have developed our perceptions around fear. But when you realize that you have created the whole cycle in your mind, you can begin to see that you have ultimate command over the whole cycle. You can change this existing cycle of perception, interpretation and reaction to one that is more supportive of the life you want.

Dr. Wayne Dyer is well known for saying that when you change the way you look at things, the way you look at things changes. He is referring to your perception, which may appear at first to be totally automatic but it's not. Well it is and it isn't! Your fears and emotional reactions are currently on autopilot but you have the power to change this and have a new automatic behavior. Just because you now, as most do, react to worry, doubt and uncertainty with fear thoughts does not mean this is the only way or that it must be this way.

So how did your perceptions, interpretations and reactions get the way they are? And why does it seem that this is just the way they should be? Because you were taught these things by those you were around as you grew up. You took on the perceptions, interpretations and reactions of those who provided the greatest impression on you as you grew up. Your mind allows this, unless you consciously step in to stop it, because it seems normal in the environment you were in when young and highly impressionable. You learn this without question when all of the people you are around do it that way. Their way becomes your way.

This is how your behavior and that of groups, families and societies is formed and why it appears to be 'normal'. And the fact that many people behave in a certain way does not make it the best way, many times it is just the easiest way. It is easier to conform than to take a unique path. You don't have to remain stuck in the mode of allowing fear thoughts to control your actions. You have command of your thinking so you can change the whole cycle or mental chain of events that occurs with fear. Initially the thoughts of doubt, and some uncertainty are normal when you are facing something new, different or challenging but you don't need to let the heightened feelings well up and create this big fear thing that you then cater to.

You can change the way you look at doubt, worry and uncertainty. These thoughts are merely questioning something about what you are about to do. "Am I prepared?" "What if ____?" "Maybe I won't remember?" "How will they react?" "How do I look?" These are mostly logical concerns about what you are about to do and if you can answer them logically, without emotion, you can clear them up and soothe your mind. Some you can specifically answer and check off the list and others you will determine you can't do anything about, so you do not concern yourself with it any more. Choose to leave out the doom and gloom thoughts, the "I can't" thoughts that are not part of the original concerns - they are your reaction to those thoughts.

Just because you are concerned with how you look, dies not mean you should stop from doing it. When your mind stirs up wonder as to if you are fully prepared or not, this does not mean to stop or flee. Just because you have not done this before does not mean you can't. You interpretation and reaction to the logical progression of thought leading up to your planned action is what causes you to freeze up. But even when you allow the feeling of fear to well up over these thoughts, still does not mean you must behave in a certain way. You can proceed with the fear, don't interpret the fear feelings as a stop sign. Just acknowledge those feelings and move on. Accept them, realize how they come about and let them be. Fear thoughts and feelings in themselves can't do anything, only when you choose to react in specific ways do they. Choose not to react to them in ways that have you suffering and keep you from what you want.

It's your life, live it your way. Every day is a good day for personal growth and development.