“Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create.” You, too, may have heard actor Will Smith speak these words in a promo for the new film titled “After Earth,” which he stars in with his son, Jaden. The words stayed with me because I’ve been thinking a lot about fear this year. As I’ve realized my dream of publishing my first novel, I’ve also learned a lot about how fear has played a factor in my life and my decisions. I’m not talking about the type of fear that is associated with the fight-or-flight response, but the type of fear that keeps you from pursuing your dreams.
We have so many reasons for not chasing attainable dreams,
whether they are to write a book, start a new business, pursue a relationship,
earn a degree, change careers or pursue some other venture. We convince ourselves
that we don’t have the time or the money. We tell ourselves our dreams are unachievable
or silly. We concern ourselves with what other people will say or think, then we count
the number of people who will be waiting for us to fail. We allow all of these
thoughts to enter our psyche then we say, “Well, life’s not that bad. I’ll just
carry on like I always have.” But it’s not about life being bearable as it is;
it’s about us being too afraid to do what we were designed to do. It’s about us
allowing fear to trap our dreams.
The topic of fear is one that is so powerful and intricate,
I can’t speak on it in one post. So, guess what? I have decided to dedicate the
month of June to posts about fear. Each week, I’ll bring you a new post on the
topic of fear. I hope that my commitment to “punching fear in the face” (as my
blog description notes) helps someone else as they consider their own challenges.
Get ready because this should be interesting, especially
since I’ll be writing about a topic I have to crucify day in and day out. Stay
tuned. We’ll see how this goes!Shellie
