FEAR – It’s Your Choice…
Fear. We all know the feeling. Whether it’s an immediate response to a dangerous situation or an ongoing concern over something that may happen in the future, many people find themselves limited and confined by this emotion. I want to challenge you to look at fear in two ways:
- Forget Everything And Run
OR - Face Everything And Rise
There are times when it is necessary to forget everything and run. The threat of physical harm or danger can trigger an automatic response in our bodies to flee. This reactivity can help keep us alive and safe from injury. We are designed to protect ourselves from harm through fear-based responses.
There are also times when fear prohibits us from living the life we want. Do you make choices about your future based on fear of failure? Do you avoid relationships because you fear getting hurt? Do you stick with the “same old routine” to avoid the fear of something new? How might your life be different if you chose to Face Everything and Rise? I’m not suggesting that there is some magic way to rid ourselves of fear, but I do find it helpful to look at fear for what it is – a basic emotion. Just like we feel sadness, happiness, anger, love…. we feel fear. This is where the choice enters. Do we allow fear to cripple us and prevent us from experiencing life? Or do we choose to face our fears, work through the emotion with the assistance of others, and find that we are able to move forward IN SPITE of the fear?
What might be different in your life if you were able to Face Everything and Rise?
Wanda Jeffcoat, MS