Are you Allowing Irrational Fear to Control You?

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There are so many amazing things I want to write about, but I felt compelled to write about fear as my first blog post on this site. This is something I have struggled with most of my life but just recently realized it. My biggest fear is fear of success. Yes, you read that right.

Fear is sneaky. It can creep in and control your every action without you even knowing it, but only if you allow it. In reality, fear is nothing more than a controllable emotion. So why don’t we control it? It could be because we don’t realize we are allowing it to control us. Or we choose not to control it out of fear of what might happen if we do. Or we don't know how to control it.

I never understood what Franklin D Roosevelt meant when he said, “Nothing to fear but fear itself,” until now. We are afraid of the possibilities. We are scared of we don’t know. Let that sink in for a moment. Talk about a catch-22!

We are born without fear. A baby has no clue what will happen if they touch a hot stove. But they are taught a hot stove will burn them. Why? Because it will.

As the child gets older and starts learning to ride a bike, they are warned of what could happen. You could fall off and skin your knee. You could fall off and break your arm. You could fall off and hit your head. But do those possibilities stop that kid from learning to ride a bike? Let’s hope not!

Along with the warnings, the child is given advice, tools, and support. Now the child has a helmet, training wheels, knee pads, elbow pads, and someone who supports them as they learn to ride a bike.

At what point in our lives do we turn the warnings into debilitating, irrational, mental fear? Why do we stop looking for the tools to mitigate the negative possibilities and completely ignore the positive possibilities?

Don’t get me wrong; fear is not always bad. It is there to protect us, but we have to determine if the fear we are experiencing is good or bad.

How to determine if the fear you are feeling is good or bad?

Ask yourself:

1) Is the fear I’m feeling rational or irrational?

2) Is it physical fear or mental fear?

Rational fear is something you know. If you jump off a 100-foot cliff onto jagged rocks, you know it will cause serious bodily injury or death. If you stick your hand to a hot flame long enough without protection, you know it will burn you. Rational fear can go hand in hand with physical fear.

Irrational fear is something that could go wrong. If you learn to ride a bike, you could fall off and get hurt. If you jump into a pool, you could drown. Irrational fear goes hand in hand with mental fear.

It is fear coming from observations you’ve made, stories you’ve heard, your own personal experiences, or even from your imagination, but it should not stop you from doing what you need in order to be happy. Instead, it should be used as a map with caution signs along the way to help you navigate your journey a little easier than those before you.

What are some things you want to do but are scared to take the leap? Is the fear rational or irrational?

What are some things you've accomplished despite your fear?

I would love to hear from you.