Fear

For those people who are believers in the bible, they know that fear is stemmed from original sin. Fear is not something we should give in to because it is from evil and not good. Giving way to fear, however, is usually easier than fighting it. When we give into fear and let fear win, we are stealing God’s opportunity to do something great in our life. We are doubting His ability to show us something new or do something miraculous. But this is not a post about God. I just wanted to preface it a bit. Know that fear is natural but letting fear win is not. Only when we face fear head on do we grow. Read the story about David and Goliath, Benaiah and the lion, etc.

Are there costs and benefits of avoiding fear? Absolutely! The following is taken from Dr. Tom Barrett’s book “Dare to Dream and Work to Win”. When we think of the word “benefit” we automatically assume something good. Right?

Benefits of Avoiding Fear

1. Avoidance seems to make the fear diminish.
2. It allows me to experience calm.
3. It allows me to avoid doing what I dislike.
4. It allows me to do something else that is more enjoyable.
5. It allows me to live within my comfort zone.

Costs of Avoiding Fear

1. Continued avoidance only makes me fear stronger.
2. Avoidance increases my stress and only camouflages my anxiety.
3. Avoidance prevents the growth of my profession.
4. Avoidance prevents the growth of me as a person.
5. Avoidance sabotages my confidence.
6. Avoiding little fears today will create very real and large fears in the future.
7. Avoidance will cost me my dream.
8. Avoidance will keep me right where I am financially.
9. The little things I avoid today will be the big regrets of my future.
10. Trading years and years of future freedom to avoid brief moments of discomfort is a horrific life and business decision.

As you can see, there are more costs to avoiding your fears than there are benefits. Ultimately, those benefits are only temporary, but the costs are permanent. People have an old record playing in their heads from life experiences. Be it from their childhood, past relationships, etc. The negative will continue to play repeatedly until YOU change the record. What are you filling your head with? Who are you surrounding yourself with? How do you start your day and how do you maintain positive thoughts throughout the day? Only YOU can make the changes necessary to live a happy and fearless life.

“We fear man so much because we fear God so little.”

I’m not saying don’t fear things. It’s natural; thanks to Adam and Eve for eating that apple and bringing sin into the world. All those negative feelings are natural. It’s in our DNA and cannot be taken out of it. We are born with 3 primary feelings. Joy, fear and sadness. Just like primary colors and how they are mixed together to make non-primary colors. Joy and Fear may create the feeling of elation or awe. Fear and sadness will create anger. Face your fears, people. Do what is uncomfortable. Do you want to create a legacy? What will people think and say about you after you’re gone? Do you want to be remembered as a coward? No. Roger up!!! Look your fear in the eye and meet it head on. You may need assistance to fight through that fear. That’s OK. Seek it out from someone who has gone before you and experienced what you’re experiencing. In the end, you’ll be glad you never settled for mediocrity.

Also, check out the book “The Gift of Fear“.