Prepare for the Best. Prepare for the Impossible.
Often times we find ourselves preparing for the worst. Rarely do we prepare for the best.
We know how to plan and prep for the possible, but the impossible? -- not so much.
Which phrase do you relate with most? The first one or the second one? Both? or maybe neither...
For me, I'm more phrase 1. Number 2 isn't hard for me. After all, I'm a dreamer and a schemer. I relate well to believing in impossible things. Actually going after those impossible things...well, that all depends.
When it comes to #1, I'm not as versed in preparing for the best. Like many, I know how to prepare for the worst. It's how we're conditioned.
I consider myself to be a rather positive person...BUT, I don't know that I necessarily prepare for the good to happen when it comes to most things. Instead of preparing for the best, I simply expect less. And when it comes to planning the impossible... I'm great at dreaming up wild and crazy things - Sometimes, I even make attempts to go after impossibilities but then, somewhere along the line, I stop believing. I stop working toward the goal.
Maybe you have experienced this too. Perhaps a few obstacles have been thrown your way and you don't know where to turn. Perhaps experience has taught you that it won't work and that nothing works out. Too many things have failed too many times. You've either stopped trying or stopped believing. Whatever it is that happens, it all comes down to one thing... F E A R.
Fear isn't good or bad. Fear can save your life. Fear can also ruin your life.
Fear is an emotion. A survival instinct. A way to protect ourselves.
Sometimes fear is subconscious and it takes awhile to notice its presence.
I want to be more mindful of the ways in which I fear. I want to notice the power fear will hold over me if I am not careful. I don't want to be held back because of fear. And I doubt you do either.
Over the last 3 years, I have discovered different personal fears of which I was unaware. I'm not sure if any of them will dissipate entirely but I'm learning how to maintain them. Here's how:
FIRST: You must acknowledge your fear(s).
- Name the fear
- Claim the fear
Don't ward off your anxieties and fears as if they don't exist. They do. And they will come up over and over again until you name and claim them. It doesn't matter if other people don't understand your fear...it's because it's YOUR's. Your fear to name. Your fear to claim. Do it!
SECOND: Know what triggers your fear(s).
- Take note of your different reactions to certain experiences. For instance, if your chest tightens from a swelling of anxiety, acknowledge the sensation and note what is going on around you that may have triggered your reaction.
- After that, ask yourself WHY? Why do you feel the way you do? If you can't figure it out right off, make a bullet list of all the possible reasons.
You may begin to realize that some reactions happen consistently and taking time to answer the question Why? will lead you to acknowledge the presence of fear.
However it happens for you, it's important to recognize your fears and triggers. Knowing what your fears are, as well as what sets them off are helpful tools to control them and keep them at bay. Who knows, with more and more practice, some of them may disappear altogether.
