Irrational Fears

“I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.”

— Bene Gesserit, Litany Against Fear (from the novel Dune)

Fears get the best of us. Anyone who has seen Dune (the 1984 adaptation) might have picked up on the quote above. Fear is the mind-killer. We rarely face a fear. And, fear, is a construct of our own making. It’s made up. We will it to be. We can give it a voice and in so doing control of our work and life. Like the fear of flying from the picture I took above while waiting at O’Hare, our fears left to drive us can keep us from taking off.

Fear as I have learned is something that will never ever be eradicated. But, it can be explored. We can face it and really try to understand it. Most of the time, they are irrational. A construct that our mind creates as a self-preservation mechanism to keep us safe. Turning the “inner eye” into your fear to see “its path” is one of the best things we can do.

You can find all kinds of research on fears. It will consume you. But, it could be good to do because you will find how to define your fears better. Whether its a irrational belief, sense of uncertainty, distorted expectations, or distorted memories turning our “inner eye” is a great thing to do. To get on the same level playing field with our fears is to control them and be able to move forward.

I’ve found my irrational beliefs as the worst kind of fear that I most often let get the best of me. Our beliefs are strong in how they’re rooted in the fabric of what makes us, us. My beliefs control what I focus on or pay attention too. Fears in this area that run amuck become made-up beliefs. Those kinds of beliefs allowed to become rooted can severally limit my potential to optimize. Those irrational beliefs need to be replaced as soon as possible by ones that empower and are based in reality.

There can be a good side to fear in that it keeps us alert. To live in it 24/7 though is incredible dangerous to our health. It limits our intellectual opportunities to really grow or branch out. Left to control us, our fears will create incredibly damaging self-destructive habits. Literally stealing from you anything that might make your goals or focuses come to fruition. Including paralyzing you emotionally which will keep you from achieving very little progress in your best work.

What about fear in success? Is there such a thing? In fear of success some symptoms we might exhibit are the feelings of not being worthy or deserving. A guilt in achieving success or happiness where others are struggling or not even close to your level of attainment. Even sabotaging your own success. I have a really bad habit of throwing myself on the sword for just about every mistake I’ve made. Until I had a coach in my life that gave me the feedback I needed to hear, I would have continued to do that. Now, I celebrate each milestone I achieve.

If we can just look inward more often at our fears, understand the rules of them, we can win the game and release ourselves to do just about anything we dream about. Your chances to win will increase dramatically. Most of the time your fears begin due to a lack of something. Find out what that “something” is and unlock your next tiny step by understanding your path a little more.

Hope your weekend is amazing. Thanks for viewing the post. Feels good to put up the first post of May. Stay tuned, a new podcast is right behind this post.

✌🏻 Shawn