Fear Can Only Stop You If You Are Afraid

Fear is an emotion, but being afraid is a choice that we make. Sometime we have a reason for fear. Tomorrow I have an appointment to have some basal cells removed from my nose. (This is after years of sun damage. Use your sunscreen!) To decide if this tissue would need to be removed, the dermatologist had to take a sample. Thankfully, she numbed my nose before scraping layers of skin away. Regretfully, she had to use a needle to numb it. Think about how tender your nose is and then think about someone sticking a needle into it over and over again. My eyes were watering and I was gritting my teeth. The doctor stopped to ask if I needed a break. What good would that do? It would still hurt. Just get it over with.

So, with good reason, I am dreading the appointment that I have tomorrow.  I know it is going to hurt. Right now, it is not fear. I know what's coming and I am choosing to be afraid.

But other times, we fear things that have never happened. Sometimes I am afraid of failure. I can't fear failing at something I have never tried, but yet I let myself be afraid. I want to use my writing to touch others, to share my thoughts and inspirations with others, yet what if this dream never happens? This feeling of fear can be a great excuse for never trying or giving up before fully pursuing a dream.

In one of my favorite books, My Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor explains one of the "greatest lessons" she learned. "I had the power to choose whether to hook into a feeling and prolong its presence in my body, or just let it quickly flow right out of me." She discusses how feelings will surge through your body unbidden, but after a few seconds it becomes a choice if you want to keep experiencing the feeling.

Fear is that feeling that comes without being invited. Fear is like a bucket of water thrown over you. Being afraid is like jumping into the freezing river so that you can revel in the debilitating cold. Don't worry about fear it will come and go, but don't be stupid. Don't choose to be afraid.

See Dr Jill Bolte Taylor's website at http://www.mystrokeofinsight.com/