“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Are you scared yet?
Have we panicked enough now to send everyone into seclusion?
There are many things that could befall us as humans with varying degrees of probability. Such as the odds of winning a single state lottery are roughly 18 million to 1. While the likelihood of being killed by lightning is roughly 2,650,000 to 1. I would be more alarmed by going to the store to purchase a chance of a winning the lottery.
There is an abundance of things one could worry about. We currently have the Ebola scare going around that in and of itself is dangerous. But there are many others that we could contract and fall ill, even die from with greater odds than this virus.
More importantly to me, if you are scared and figuratively running around saying the sky is falling, are you not part of the problem? Sensibility and reason will solve issues more readily than finger pointing.
Are you scared simply of your own inability to handle the unknown?
Is the panic you feel driving you into seclusion or to help solve it?
Fear can be a motivational part of life but it quickly becomes debilitating. It spreads like a virus through your words, your actions and can paralyze your very life. You can overcome fear, you can live life again without the anxiety of a virus, a lightening strike or even death to some degree.
Find out what is behind the fear; meaning what are you really afraid of. There is always something behind it, a real reason for the fear. Just be clear on what your are "really" afraid of. Knowing and expressing the fear makes it easier to confront.
Next is to understand what you are saying to yourself about the fear. If you are saying, "this final exam is hard and I am going to fail the test and not earn my degree", you are already setting yourself up for the failure. Say something positive about it. You will pass. You will earn the degree.
Now exaggerate the worst thing or things that could happen should the fear be realized. You fail the test, you do not earn the degree and you end up living in a van down by the river. After catastrophizing for a few minutes, you'll probably begin to realize that the world couldn't possibly be as bad as your imagination can make it.
Relax now for a few minutes and think of the good things that can result from letting go of the fear. You'll get on that plane. You will ride in that elevator. You will help people that are truly sick. You will make a difference because you are freed from the shackles of fear.
Lastly, you will need to actually approach the thing, person, or situation head on. This doesn't mean changing your entire behavior in one big step. You can break it down into a number of steps. But you now need to actually get on that plane, ride in that elevator, or help people that are truly sick.
You can live without fear when others are shouting in panic.
You can trust that living without fear is living a greater life.
Are you no longer scared?
Stay inspired my friends.
