Now FEAR This!
Fear...it can be such an debilitating emotion!
I was walking through the park yesterday and turned around to see three teenagers screaming and huddled together. I thought they were just being kids and being loud. The screening continued and when I changed positions, I discovered a yellow lab on a leash with his owner sitting and smiling at them.
The dog was not in moving in any aggressive manner. In fact it was just calmly sitting there amidst the yelps and hollers from the teens. I recalled being that terrified of dogs when I was younger too. But it was most often when the dog approached me in an aggressive manner. My fight or flight would kick in but I would still continue to walk as briskly as I could away from any danger.
In this situation, the dog was sitting and actually trying to say hello. The more the teens screeched the more the dog tried to approach them to sniff them. The owner was trying to tell the teens that he was only trying to say hi, but they ran off like they had just seen a monster in a horror film.
I thought to myself. WOW! Fear can make us really irrational. Even when the reality of what's facing us isn't a threat. It clouds our judgement. It imobilizes us. It makes us panic and sometimes, it makes us run for our lives.
How many times have I run away from things that on its face looked life ending but in reality were choices and paths to explore?
It's been almost 9 months since I retired early from my corporate career and faced my fear of failure. Looking back on how far I've come- I've been doing pretty well.
But I think back to the days when I was trying to decide whether to move to Philly, move in with my boyfriend, still keep a job that was not a motivational or health fit, and keep putting my dreams to perform on hold. I cried a lot. I even screamed in anger at times at how hard life was being to me and my body. I even tried to ignore the fear. But the more pain I experienced the more I knew it was time to make a change.
My mindful walk had me really doing some deep thinking. And then it hit me!
My future was the dog in the park yesterday. Last year, I was that pack of freaked out teenagers. But now, instead of running away from the dog (what I feared), I would actually say hello to the the dog and with permission from its owner, give it a nice pet on the head. Time and experience can be really healing. I've been so blessed and grateful that things are working out.
Of course I need to have more patience and persistence with building these new dreams and goals. I haven't gotten my call from TedTalks or Oprah yet. The key word is YET. ;-)
Facing my fears has made me stop in my tracks and has made me freak out. And I still get freaked out about other things that keep me up at night (building up my business and finances). But I'm taking the time to step up to my fear and give it a "hello" pat on the head more often.
I was walking through the park yesterday and turned around to see three teenagers screaming and huddled together. I thought they were just being kids and being loud. The screening continued and when I changed positions, I discovered a yellow lab on a leash with his owner sitting and smiling at them.
The dog was not in moving in any aggressive manner. In fact it was just calmly sitting there amidst the yelps and hollers from the teens. I recalled being that terrified of dogs when I was younger too. But it was most often when the dog approached me in an aggressive manner. My fight or flight would kick in but I would still continue to walk as briskly as I could away from any danger.
In this situation, the dog was sitting and actually trying to say hello. The more the teens screeched the more the dog tried to approach them to sniff them. The owner was trying to tell the teens that he was only trying to say hi, but they ran off like they had just seen a monster in a horror film.
I thought to myself. WOW! Fear can make us really irrational. Even when the reality of what's facing us isn't a threat. It clouds our judgement. It imobilizes us. It makes us panic and sometimes, it makes us run for our lives.
How many times have I run away from things that on its face looked life ending but in reality were choices and paths to explore?
It's been almost 9 months since I retired early from my corporate career and faced my fear of failure. Looking back on how far I've come- I've been doing pretty well.
But I think back to the days when I was trying to decide whether to move to Philly, move in with my boyfriend, still keep a job that was not a motivational or health fit, and keep putting my dreams to perform on hold. I cried a lot. I even screamed in anger at times at how hard life was being to me and my body. I even tried to ignore the fear. But the more pain I experienced the more I knew it was time to make a change.
My mindful walk had me really doing some deep thinking. And then it hit me!
My future was the dog in the park yesterday. Last year, I was that pack of freaked out teenagers. But now, instead of running away from the dog (what I feared), I would actually say hello to the the dog and with permission from its owner, give it a nice pet on the head. Time and experience can be really healing. I've been so blessed and grateful that things are working out.
Of course I need to have more patience and persistence with building these new dreams and goals. I haven't gotten my call from TedTalks or Oprah yet. The key word is YET. ;-)
Facing my fears has made me stop in my tracks and has made me freak out. And I still get freaked out about other things that keep me up at night (building up my business and finances). But I'm taking the time to step up to my fear and give it a "hello" pat on the head more often.
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