DailyOM: Emerging Courageous‏

i absolutely needed to read this today!

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May 6, 2009

Emerging Courageous

Walking Through Your Fear

The situations, activities, and individuals that

frighten us remain static. Their relative intensity

does not change. Fear, on the other hand, self-

magnifies. It is when you are afraid and

envisioning all that might go wrong that the

energy underlying your fear grows. A tiny flicker of

anxiety can easily develop into a terror that

manifests itself physically and eventually paralyzes

you into inaction. Though frequently, in walking

through that fear, we discover that the strength

of our fright was out of synch with reality. And we

learn that doing what frightens us can lead to

great blessings. Confronting your trepidation head-

on will help you accept that few frightening

scenarios will ever live up to the negative

disasters that we sometimes play out in our minds.

Though fear is literally an evolutionary gift meant

to sharpen your senses and energize you during

times of great stress, it can nonetheless become a

barrier that prevents you from fulfilling your

potential by causing you to miss out on rewarding,

life-changing experiences. During the period before

you face your fear, you may have to deal with a

barrage of negative thoughts and emotions.

Walking through it, whether your fear is public

speaking, taking part in an activity that makes you

nervous, or asserting yourself when the odds are

against you, may be equally as difficult. But once

you have emerged unscathed on the other side,

which you will, you will likely wonder why you

assumed the worst in the first place. As you spend

time worrying about what might happen, it’s good

to know that your fear probably won’t happen at

all. It may feel like a great weight has been lifted

from your shoulders, and you will likely feel a

sense of passionate pride. Walking through your

fear can! mean taking risks and can require both

practice and patience. Since it is challenging to

act when you are gripped with fear, start small.

Each step you take into fear will strengthen you

and help you confront future fears with poise,

courage, and confidence. You will also find that

when you are willing to stare your fear in the face,

the universe will always offer you some form of aid

or support. When you see the heights of

accomplishment and personal evolution you can

attain when you walk through your fears, your

faith in yourself will grow, allowing your next step

to be easier.