Fear.
I cannot think of a more harmful enemy to the human spirit. It connives and contorts us, limits us. It causes us to do strange things, silly things, things we don’t actually want to do… To be shadows of ourselves and live shadows of the lives we truly want.
And it is trickiest, because in the moment when it speaks it is just so convincing. It isn’t fear, it is reason! You think to yourself... ‘Surely this is just the logical, grounded, mature course of action.’ ‘Surely, it is just silly for me to try or do x.’ ‘Surely, it is best for others if I just hold off.’
…but NO, it is not.
That is just fear speaking. Trying to keep you small and keep you ‘safe’. And you MUST be diligent with yourself in not allowing yourself to believe these voices.
Because as soon as you do, you are feeding the forces of stagnation, of stuckness, of mediocrity, of depression, lack and eroding self-esteem.
I am not saying that you should run blindly out into traffic, wrestle with a bear or eat something poisonous. This is one of the things that makes fear so tricky, because it does serve you at times, under certain circumstances. But those are few and far between, and you are more than capable enough to discern the difference between the instances when fear is a useful warning and when it is not.
So, I invite you to ask yourself, where have you been holding back on doing, being or saying what you really want to do, be or say? Because that is where you are allowing fear to win and you do not have to.
Do you want to be truly powerful? Because if you can learn to walk STRAIGHT INTO and through the action you are afraid of, that is the way for you to become powerful beyond measure.
Image courtesy of Dave Hoefler on unsplash.com
