The truth about fear February 24, 2016 – Posted in: Confidence, Personal Development – Tags: anxiety, fear, truth

One of the things I do as a coach is help people to manage their fear in healthier ways. This is something I continue to learn how to do myself, because we can all get lost in fear. Today, I know how to get out (should I choose to).

Here’s an excerpt from my soon-to-be-published book, Flying for Beginners…

Fear is a part of life and it’s an appropriate emotion to feel in some situations. If you or someone you love is under threat it would be appropriate to feel afraid. If you are growing as a person you will likely experience fear – that’s normal because you are stretching yourself!

But, when your life becomes rooted in and driven by fear you have a problem. It’s not healthy to be always afraid. The key to a happy life is balance. You are never going to reach a state of permanent non-fear but you also don’t have to live in permanent dread. The middle ground is a healthy trust that you can cope with whatever life throws at you and to deal with the thing that’s immediately in front of you.

Fear is the opposite to love.

A life lived from a foundation of love, by which I mean trust/ faith/ truth/ joy/ peace/ courage/ acceptance, is one in which anxiety is understood and managed.

A life lived from a place of fear, which manifests as control/ manipulation/ grasping/ aggression/ tension, is one in which anxiety is king.

And, in each moment we have a choice. To allow fear to be felt, accepted and gently moved past. Or, to allow fear to be felt, take up residence and rule the roost.

I believe the basic truth about fear is that we have a choice over how much power we give it in our lives. What will you choose today?