Hi kids,
Fear is the one human emotion that can grab you by the gut and destroy your life. So, today we’re going to take that dragon out, set it on the table and examine it. Are you ready?
Fear is an emotion without which we wouldn’t have been able to survive. It’s the emotion that gives a mother the strength to lift a car off her child. It’s the emotion that gave us the speed to escape predators. It helps us be more attuned to surroundings where danger may lurk.
We all experience fear at times, but sometimes our fears are groundless. There is no predator; there is no potential danger hiding behind the next rock or building. It is simply generated by our thoughts and memories. This type of fear is what most of us in modern society experience and it can get us into a whole lot of trouble physically because our bodies are not designed to be in a constant fear state. This type of fear will also be a force that prevents us from realizing our dreams.
If you are afraid of the unknown, it will prevent you from taking the necessary risks to achieve your dreams.
If you are afraid of failure or success, it will prevent you from trying new things. You will constantly procrastinate or make excuses such as saying, “I would like to do that, but I don’t have time.” (That’s the lame excuse I’ve used in the past.)
If you are afraid of what people will say or think about you, you will lose opportunities to meet the very people who can propel you to achieving your dreams.
Two of the most common words associated with fear are ‘What if—‘. When you say or think these words, you are projecting into the future an event that may or may not happen. What if there’s a terrorist attack? What if I get cancer? What if I can’t do it right? What if I’m not strong enough? What if he cheats on me? What if people will think I’m stupid or a loser. What if a meteor hits the planet? What if the Yellowstone caldera erupts?
Every one of those questions is based in fear and is a fear dragon. If you find yourself talking or thinking like this, when you examine the dragon closely, you can turn it into a harmless little lizard like the one you see above. What if I get cancer can be turned into what if I have my health until I’m 150 years old? What if the caldera erupts becomes what if the caldera doesn’t erupt? What if he cheats on me to what if he’s my soul mate and will never cheat on me? What if I can’t do it right becomes if I make a mistake, I will make it right and move on.
Another way to handle the what ifs is to examine the odds of something happening. If you’re afraid there will be a terrorist attack, check out the odds. There’s a greater chance you’ll be struck down by lightning than be attacked by a terrorist, but the media would have you thinking there’s a terrorist lurking behind every bush.
You can control some of these fears by carefully monitoring what you feed into yourself in the forms of what you read, listen to and watch on TV. The media loves to appeal to your fears. Politicians and some religions like to do the same thing as a means to control your thinking and your behavior.
Okay, that’s it for today kids. I love you and want you to be happy, healthy kids leading the life of your dreams.
If you’ve conquered a fear in your life, be sure and share your success.
Mama Vic loves you.
