Be Fearless

Fear is natural in humans. I believe that fear is a God-given trait of every person. I have always thought that fear is learned with time and experience. I thought that fear is adopted from our environment but I now think otherwise. What led to my change in perception was when I realized that my 4-month-old baby* was afraid of falling down. She’ll do what she can to hold on to your shirt when you lift her up. She also did the same when the lights go off at night. Prior to this time she had never fallen down from a height and neither have I sat her down to explain the there was something to fear in the dark. This to me meant that experience was out of the question. She must have been wired with fear to serve as a deterrent to pain and suffering.

Now, that’s where the good news on fear ends. In as much as fear comes naturally to us, it shouldn’t guide our lives and decisions. When fear is left unchecked it becomes a menace to both its victim and the people around him or her.

The effects of fear are far reaching. It cripples a person and makes him inactive. This means that an action that would normally have been a piece of cake becomes very difficult to do. Fear shuts down your ability to think critically and coherently. The period a person is afraid is the worst possible time to strike a deal. This is because the critical aspect of the mind that helps to analyze issues rationally shuts down. Fear inflates and exaggerates an obstacle. When you are afraid you consider easily surmountable obstacles as high insurmountable mountains.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”  ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

To conquer and counter the effects of fear you should develop courage. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the boldness to act irrespective of the fears you have. A courageous person knows exactly what he wants from life and is willing take the necessary actions needed to actualize these goals. This he does whether he is afraid or not. What happens when you take such bold actions of courage is that the obstacle shrinks. My advice to you? Be fearless!

*Jamila is now 10 months old

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