Know No Fear!

The Greatest Wonders of the World we'll never know for they were destroyed before they were even built by the great enemy of man—Fear!

That's my take on Fear, but here's some notable and famous quotes:

"Our deepest Fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest Fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."

~Marianne Williamson

And one of the most insightful figures of all time sums up Fear in his normally humoristic manner:

"I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."

~Mark Twain

Perhaps the most famous quote of all about Fear, and the one that hits home hardest with me, is this:

"The only thing we have to Fear is Fear itself."

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

I will continue along the thoughts of what is a most profound truth about Fear:

"To live with Fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity."

~Edward Weeks

The reason I decided to use "quotes" throughout this article is to fortify the fact that Fear is nothing but an Illusion. It is imagined, as a dream is. But at least we wake up from a dream. Most people fall into Fear and remain frozen in its giant grasp all their lives! They either live in a constant state of paralyzing Fear or they have lowered their expectations to a level that they never feel Fear because they have "learned" not to risk and grow. How sad!

Fear is the minds great mortal sin.

And isn't it just at times when you have to risk something, that you Fear? Think about it! You've had a great idea but you don't tell a soul because you're afraid THEY won't think it's great. You've had long time aspirations to change careers but you cower at the mere thought of getting out of your Comfort Zone and out from under the safety net you've created for yourself (your job, your security, your routine). You've always wanted to start a business, but the thought of putting together a business plan, getting financing, and the unknown quantity of the income you'll receive scares the hell out of you!

How many opportunities have you allowed to slip by because you were frozen by Fear?

Do you know more about the things you Fear than the things you desire?

Is the Fear of failure your biggest Fear of all?

Recognizing Fear!

Not a single person has ever accomplished anything of significance without first feeling scared to death!

You recognize your own tell tale signs of Fear. Might be a knot in your gut. Or a high state of anxiety. A flood of negative thoughts rush in and all the reasons NOT to do something hover over you like an ominous black cloud! The truth is, behind that cloud lay bright beautiful sunlight ready to nourish and grow your idea.

Fear is a loaded gun squarely aimed to slay you and all your potential. You need to be on-guard every waking moment to deflect the invisible bullet.

"Fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind."

~H. P. Lovecraft

Fear is the cancer of the human spirit.

Confronting Fear!

How many times have you had to, say, appear publicly to speak at a meeting or wedding, or attend traffic court, and you were just consumed by dreaded thoughts of the pending event for days in advance? And when it was all over, a huge burden was lifted from your shoulder? The event went wonderfully without a hitch.

That folks, is the false load of Fear you "allowed" to invade and dominate your mind. All for nothing and what needless suffering and a complete waste of life energy!

Fear is the imaginary mountain that hides the horizon.

The moment you feel Fear—face it—and eject it—instantly! Every time you feel the invisible foe injecting it's venom into your thoughts—STOP!! And YOU re-take control of your thinking process. Outa here! Fear is false, and evil! What you imagine will never come to pass. That's ALWAYS the reality so why even think those thoughts?

Learn and practice this, for when has what you Feared ever become your reality?

Fear is the greatest inhibitor to the progress of mankind.

"Fear is excitement without breath."

~Robert Heller

Conquering Fear!

You and I will always feel Fear. The key is to not feel it for long. Split seconds of time actually. It's a matter of twisting the irrational emotion into a usable force for the betterment of our own lives.

Make Fear your Motivator! The moment you begin to feel Fear, immediately turn it into the fuel you need to keep your fire raging! You feel Fear almost always when something is "worthy" of the invading of your comfort zone. Like risk for a much greater gain! Begin to recognize that the dark feeling of Fear is in almost all cases a prelude to a brighter future.

Look at it this way, if you DON'T feel Fear over a particular situation, then it's not significant enough to warrant your consideration. That's how powerful an indicator Fear is! And that's all Fear should ever be!

At most, let Fear be but just that momentary Storm before the Calm. USE Fear instead of allowing it to use YOU.

Let Fear Fortify, not cripple you!

"Do the thing you Fear to do and keep on doing it... that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer Fear."

~Dale Carnegie

"Fear is met and destroyed with courage."

~James F. Bell

Fear and Ice Cream?

If we only opened our minds a little more often, we would see a limitless source of strength in our children. Children are wise beyond belief as they Know No Fear! I ask you to take a little more of your time right now to read the true story of a brave young girl named Teri. The Ice Cream 'Comb' Story is very close to my heart and a continual source of strength for me. See, the story is about my daughter.

Fear and Prayer?

I wish to close this article by sharing with you what I believe is the "required equipment" to fight and beat Fear once and for all. Essentially, that is a core belief system centered on those things we both deserve and should strive for. I was able to express how I felt about this in an article called The Entrepreneurs Prayer, which I invite you to not only read, but also really think about.

I cannot express how I feel about Fear, or rather the freedom of living without Fear, more effectively than E. E. Eddison:

"He without Fear is king of the world."

My wish for you is to Know No Fear!

Be Fearless, and Flourish!

©Rick Beneteau

www.RichardBeneteau.com