To Fear or Not to Fear

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word fear?  Is it a phobia you have?  Maybe a scary movie you watched, or something terrible you witnessed?  Fear strikes a chord in every human being, and it's not a good feeling is it?  So what is it about fear that we don't like so much?  Webster defines fear as "to be afraid or apprehensive."  I think it goes a little further than that.  Fear is a strong word that produces strong feelings.

So what are we to do with this fear?  Are we to let it rule our lives or prevent us from doing things that we would otherwise enjoy or benefit from?  I am going to try in this article to give you some tools to overcome fear; to conquer it.

Face your fear:
Whatever fear you come across, you have two choices; make an about face and get the high tail out of there or take a stand against it and fight.  Although the latter is the toughest choice, it is the best of the two.  If you don't face your fears, you will never overcome them.  Even phobias (which are an extreme and debilitating fear) can be cured.  I once saw a doctor who helped people overcome their phobias by showing them the harmlessness of their fear.  A lot of times fear, when you look at it closely is just a misunderstanding of something or someone.  Take a moment to think things through so this isn't the case.  Another good way to face fear is visualization.  A great example of this is in the movie "The Big Green."  The kid who played goalie has a great imagination and was afraid of the players because of it.  But he faced his fear and was able to visualize the opposing players as something harmless.

Be in the Know:
One of the most common causes of fear is the unknown.  This could be an unknown of what the future holds, something that can't be seen or touched, or just a lack of knowledge.  Any of these unknowns can trigger fear.  If you fear what will happen, concentrate on the now.  Work on what is happening today and don't worry about tomorrow.  That is easier said than done for some, but if you are busy with today, you will most likely not even think about tomorrow before it becomes today.  The best way to tackle fear of the unknown is to educate yourself.  If you have a fear in this area, learn more about it.  Study it and comprehend it.  This will ease fears.  If there is a fear you just can't overcome, recruit help from family and friends.  There is always power in numbers.

I leave you with this quote from the Bible as an encouragement to you, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  II Timothy 1:7

Helping you get the upper hand,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader

Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience:
www.PeterBunnHasFun.com