We all have fears…the kind that enslaves us, frees us in a form of cage yes, the irony is that fear can be freeing. It will be easier to understand this, if we can grasp that fear frees us from the responsibility of courage.
We have fear of failure, of love, of being mediocre, of being inadequate, of being unsuccessful, of being judged… from benign to malignant fears, the most common fact is, we fear.
Maybe fear is a necessary part of life or maybe it is a construct for limits. What fear isn’t, is avoidable. It affects grey and infant. It is an ingrained machination set up to help us admit our humanity and the extent of its frailty.
It said that courage isn’t the absence of fear, rather, action in spite of fear. Fear can be paralyzing and unlike popular acronym for fear meaning: “false emotions appearing real“. Some fears are legitimate and valid. For instance, economic meltdown or a prevailing pandemic.
Fear of rejection, fear of uncertainty, fear of betrayal, fear of retirement and old age, fear of a failing health or imminent death. The question is not what are you afraid of but what do you do when you are afraid?
How do we handle fear? does it make us normalize failure and stagancy, or reduce us into a stereotypical conformist just because our expectations aren’t met? Does it keep us inactive or in a perpetual state of inertia?
Can one control fear or take action while still being afraid? How does one harness fear for positive results and move from where you are stuck to where you want to be?
There is no one answer to this question. It is mostly an uphill or down slope journey depending on how we handle the situation. One thing is certain though, fear holds us back.
A puzzling reality is that the same type of fear, propels different reactions in certain individuals. Where one feels incapacitated and demoralized, another channels the fear into a worthwhile endeavor. Psychologically, it is advised that one face the subject of phobia often to overcome it(exposure therapy).
The most paralyzing fear is the fear of the unknown and it is where we often find ourselves. It could either be fear of the immediate unknown or the future unknown. It is the kind of fear that comes because we loose control over a situation and one finds oneself helpless in the midst of the turmoil.
This feeling fosters an anticipatory anxiety that makes one worry about certain unseen events just because it seems prevalent enough
We get fixed in the moment too afraid to proceed with unknowns. We never make decisions without trying to play it safe. We build a wall to protect us but at the same time keeping us away from enjoying the world about us.
It is not important that we fear, it is important what we do with it. I am not saying this to sound like a cliche motivational speaker.
What you aid because of fear will not stand erect as an excuse in the face of regret.
Channel your fear as one would brandish a designer bag, it is a fashionable accessory but can carry stuff and be bespoke. Basically, be peng with your fear😄.
Adios!
Connoisseur of Memories 