Habits of Fear
Posted on November 08, 2013 by Endora Crawford, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.
What would life be like if you were unconstrained by the habits of fear?
“For the young are unconstrained by the habits of fear.” – President Barack Obama
For centuries we have been told from childhood that we have to do things a certain way. Or we cannot do things a certain way. We have to get all As. Or we are not good enough to even get all Cs. Those on top are afraid of falling down, and those on the bottom are afraid of coming up. It is a cycle, amongst many other unhealthy cycles, that we have found ourselves wrapped in and unable to disconnect from. We are generationally and culturally bound by these fears. Fears of what if.
What if…they are better than me? I get my feelings hurt? They don’t like my idea? They laugh at me? They disagree?
The reality is that many people feed off of others’ fears to mask their own. They sense it and take advantage of it, protecting their own insecurities.
So why are we giving them so much power over our lives? Without our fear, they are powerless. Powerless!
So I ask the question, what could we do if we were unconstrained? Unconstrained by the habits of fear.
-Would we step in and stand up to a bully regardless of who he/she was?
-Would we demand to be acknowledged, respected, and rewarded by our employers for our commitments at work?
-Would we stop for just a moment to assist someone with their bags no matter what their appearance?
-Would we give a stranger walking down the highway a ride to the next exit or better yet, all the way home?
-Would we acknowledge our own beauty to include: acne, surgery scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, dimples (not the ones on your face), muffin tops, love handles, and the list goes on?
I am sure you all are saying, “This girl is dreaming”. Well, yes I am. Dreaming for just one person each day to remove the sense of fear from their minds and walk in confidence. Not the kind of confidence that says I am better than you. No, that’s arrogance. But rather the confidence that says I am so great that I want everyone I meet to feel and be equally as great. Could you do it? Would you do it?
I came across this quote that has stuck with me for some time.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear”. – Ambrose Redmoon
I am committed to the greater goal of making this world a better, safer, happier place for my sons by making that goal more important than my fears. I am not afraid to stand alone, but I sure would like some company. Is anybody with me? What are your fears and what personal goal would you like to place above that fear?
