Fear

Fear

By Nancy Shields

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.”  Wow, what a statement of courage.  I frequently say that fear is the opposite of courage; in fact, they are total opposites.  I ask myself often do I operate out of fear or courage.  Fear keeps you stuck.  Procrastination also comes from fear; it’s the inability to make a decision. Fear is paralyzing!  Fear also causes us to not truly love our full potential.  We can get hurt in a relationship and the fear of getting hurt again may cause us to not love or should I say, not truly love again.  Instead we make excuses on why we should shut down our hearts and be on guard.  I’m not saying be totally open as you meet new people but I am saying after the initial cautiousness period, we must let our guard down and be open to new love.  I say do it with cautious optimism.  We are taught fear as children and then it manifests itself within.  It can control you unless we make an effort to dispel it and let it go.  Replace it with courage, strength and confidence.  We must look fear in the face and confront what is keeping us stuck.  This reminds me of a story of my son when he was 14 years old and was interested in flying.  He had the opportunity to take a ride in a Cessna small engine plane and I was also invited. I was never fond of flying and to fly in a small plane made me uneasy.  I would preach often to my kids that we must confront our fears head on.  My 14 year old looked at me and said, “Mom, go ahead and confront your fear.”  Guess what, I got on that plane and took the ride” – I confronted my FEAR!

Have the courage to act; you want a new job, a new beginning, a better relationship – why wait?  ACT now!  Like I said earlier, courage and fear are polar opposites.  It takes courage not to FEAR!  Fear is debilitating.  It creeps in like a fog and we can’t see through it.  Fear keeps us stuck in settling. One of the bigger fears is fear of being alone; of no one wanting us.  In this fear we jump from one man’s arms to another.  We fear being alone with our own thoughts like monsters – we give them to much power to FEAR!  Believe in yourself, believe in your passion, believe in your dreams (no matter how big or small they may be).  Change requires not to fear.  So take the first step in letting go of the Fear that is keeping you immobilized to follow your passions.

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us all!

Nancy’s Mini Bio:

Nancy Shields has a passion to create a better world by connecting and inspiring women!  She is the creator of www.makeGirlfriends.com, a social networking site designed for women to meet.share.inspire one another through the adventure we call life. Here, women can connect with other “girlfriends”, because without our “girlfriends” in life, it can get tough out there!

Nancy encourages women to share their inspirational stories on the homepage called “YOUR VOICE”.  You never know how many lives you will touch by sharing your story…she can be reached via email at nancy@makegirlfriends.com.

Connect with Nancy:

www.makegirlfriends.com

www.facebook.com/fanpage.connectwithMGF

@makegirlfriends (twitter)

A Message from Jaki ~ Thank you

Fear – I used to live in a dark place that was full of fear, worry, loneliness and more. One day that fear changed – just one small realisation led to courage and hope, action and motivation. Yet there is not one day of my life that I wish hadn’t happened, there is not one day that I am not grateful for.
Nancy quoted Eleanor Roosevelt at the beginning of the blog “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” That quote is so true. From our fears grow greater strength, greater motivation, greater joy and passion for life.

Thank you Nancy :)

Simple Positive Steps You Can Take Now ~

In Gratitude

Jaki :) 

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