Most, if not all, of us have heard or read the definition of fear as it is expressed through the acronym of its letters, False Evidence Appearing Real. Some might have also heard or read of another lesser known, more tongue in cheek, acronym; Forget Everything And Run!
While both of these give a perspective on fear, neither gets to the truth of fear, which is that it is an illusion, an illusion that controls many of our decisions and subsequently our life experiences.
Fear as I am describing it here is not the fear associated with imminent danger in any given moment, but the fear we associate with what has already happened or what we “fear” might happen. Neither of which is real, although it is certainly experienced as real in the moment.
Fear that we associate with imminent danger is actually quite interesting in that in the moment we are not actually fearful but in a heightened state of awareness, and therefore, more acutely alert to what is happening around us.
In a heightened state of awareness we are fully present in that moment. It is only when we come out of this heightened awareness by thinking of past events or experiences that were similar to what we are now experiencing, or we think about the future and what we could experience, that we become fearful.
Fear is a construct of the mind. It doesn’t exist anywhere but within the mind, and yet we experience the effects of it within the physical body. It has nothing to do with imminent danger but everything to do with choices we make, actions we take, and ultimately the life we experience.
We have all had experiences when we felt fearful about something we wanted to do, even when the desire to do so was strong. And unfortunately, because of fear, we did not take action or move forward on this desire.
How many times have you awakened in the morning with a great idea or inspiration but by lunch you talked yourself out of it?
Why? How is it that in the morning you had what you felt was a “can’t miss” inspiration and then slowly allowed the fear of what others might say, what others might think, what others might do…blah, blah, blah…keep you from expressing in the world this inspiration you were given?
Fear in this manner is nothing more than an illusion and yet it is very real in the way it affects the choices we make and the life experiences we create.
Since fear is a construct of the mind it can be deconstructed with the use of these four tools of personal empowerment. And as you will see, fear can be deconstructed by fear itself.
Four Tools of Personal Empowerment:
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]earlessness. Your first thought might be that if you lived fearlessly then you wouldn’t experience fear and there would be nothing to deconstruct.
And while this is true, it takes being bold and courageous in the face of that perceived fear to live fearlessly. It means stepping across the threshold of certainty into the unknown with the joyous anticipation that what you desire to experience is what will result.
You must have faith that whatever you have been inspired to create and experience is intended, and therefore, will be fully supported as you bring that inspiration to life.
Living fearlessly is not only fully trusting oneself, but Life itself. It is knowing that no matter what happens, it happens for you, not to you.
[dropcap]E[/dropcap]ngage. Fully engage in life. Take action despite the feelings of fear you might have. Nothing disperses fear like action taken towards the experiences you desire. Nothing creates momentum like fully engaging in the creation process by making conscious choices in alignment with the life you desire.
As you engage in Life you expand your experience of Self and therefore your personal power. The more you experience your personal power the more you realize how powerful you truly are.
The impact we allow fear to have on our life is in direct proportion to the degree to which exercise and experience our personal power.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]wareness. If you were to choose only one of these four tools of empowerment to implement, let that choice be awareness.
Become aware of the limits you have placed on yourself through your perceived fears. Recognize the opportunities that are and have always been available to you but were not seen due to the blindness imposed by fear.
Declare that enough is enough and that you will no longer subordinate your personal power to fear. Make choices out of your enhanced awareness that lessen or eliminate the impact of fear and lead to the experiences you desire.
Fear is deconstructed by your awareness of it, feeling it, acknowledging it and owning it as something you created and continue to hold on to.
Allow Life to flow without resistance (fear) and you will experience it as it was intended for your greatest experience and expression of Self.
[dropcap]R[/dropcap]elease. Let go of any attachments to thoughts or beliefs you hold of your Self and life that in any way limit your fullest experience and expression of your Self and life.
Fear results from placing more value on the opinion of the “world” than you place on your own. When we place more value on the opinion of the world we are in constant fear of not living up to that opinion. And in Truth, the only opinion that matters is yours.
Release any attachments to the outcome, especially those that are less than what you are capable of creating and experiencing.
Release any attachment to the way you think Life should be. Allow and embrace the beauty and perfection of the way Life is.
Release any attachment to who you believe you are. Live in authenticity. Authenticity is living from the core and depth of your being. It is living in truth and transparency. When you are transparent, and therefore living in truth, there is nothing to fear.
One final thought on fear. Fear is actually an ally. It stands as a doorway to our greater understanding and experience of our Self and higher consciousness. All we have to do is fearlessly cross the threshold.
Until next time,
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Like this blog post? Please share with others you know who might benefit.
And be sure to subscribe to my blog updates so you never miss a post.
Jim, I really like your perspective here. It could be because I agree so much with it! I too am especially keen on one’s level of awareness being fundamental to the full expression of one’s potential. Further, I also believe EXPRESSED intention is extremely important to consider as an ingredient which facilitates achievement. How about the term Intentional Awareness/Attention?
Lowell, thank you for your kind words. Yes, I like the terms, Intentional Awareness and Attention. Another term I like and use which also gets to the point of intention is “attentive appreciation” for oneself and for Life which results in the experiences of Life we desire. Thanks again!! Blessings.