Fear is thinking about something that you don’t want to happen. You would like to climb that mountain, but the thought crosses your mind that you might fall from a great height.
As you focus on falling, the fear of climbing becomes exaggerated and out of all proportion to the event. It’s not because you are falling, but because you are making it appear real.
Yes, our imagination is that powerful.
You are thinking of the worst that might happen — but not necessarily will. Sometimes it’s the fear of failure, fear of being different, or even fear of actually experiencing success. All these fears prevent you from seeking new ways to solve your problems, moving forward, and becoming fulfilled.
Before Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling was a struggling single mother living on welfare, battling depression, and fearing she had failed at life. Yet she wrote anyway.
She later said: “It is impossible to live without failing at something… unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.”
Her sense of purpose, the drive to tell her story, was stronger than her fear of failure.
Fear steals your time, and time is the one thing you never get back. If you put your fears aside and focus on others, you’ll discover that connection, purpose, and desire leave little room for fear to take hold.
This week’s Motivator:
Fear shrinks when you stop staring at it. Turn your eyes toward purpose and connection, and fear will fade into the background.
Prompt for the week:
What fear is stealing your time right now — and what could you do instead if you let it go?
