“Faith and fear both demand you believe in something you cannot see. You choose!”
We all have our 'go-to" fears. Some common fears are spiders, heights, failure and death. Fear can be healthy by preventing us from danger, like avoiding grizzly bears and tornadoes. Unhealthy fear, however, can prevent us from living a more fulfilling life of adventure and achievement. If we are so afraid of death that we overcompensate on safety at all costs to prevent the inevitable, fear wins. If we are so afraid of rejection or retaliation that we don't voice our opinions or stand up for what we feel is right, fear wins.
The biggest unhealthy fear I have overcome is failure. I avoided failure at all cost in my youth by playing it safe. If I thought there was some chance of me not succeeding, I was less likely to take the risk. Fear prevented me from doing more of the things I really wanted to experience in life. I had more of a fixed mindset mentality that was afraid of making mistakes or being laughed at for being wrong. While siding with fear may have helped my ego from getting bruised, I now see how it limited my potential. Unhealthy fear prevented me from being able to live my life to the fullest.
I don't look back in regret. I learn from my fear-filled highlight reels in life and allow them to fuel my future. My old thought patterns would gravitate toward, "What if it doesn't work out?" or "What if I am not good enough?" Now, it's more like, "I can't wait to see how this goes!" or "I am a great fit for this role!" I stopped predicting negative outcomes and questioning my worth. My new approach is excited anticipation, while accepting what unfolds. Even if something does not work out the way I intended, at least I made the attempt. I can always adjust accordingly.
I notice the negative "What if's" disappear when I replace fear with faith. I have faith things will work out in my favor. If not, it's just time to reassess. No big deal. Negative expectations induced by fear can lead to unfortunate self-fulfilling prophecies. Life unfolds more in my favor when I live in faith over fear. I trust in my own abilities and potential. I trust that the Universe is here to support me and not out to get me. I found faith when I tapped into the Love that permeates through all of us. I simply looked within, where the unhealthy fear is addressed and dissolved. How may you be allowing unhealthy fear to limit your potential?
More Wellness!
