Yesterday was Halloween – a day where being scared is fun and actually intended. Ghosts and goblins may spook us but only temporarily because logically we know it’s just pretend! Fake fear can be fun, but the real fear we experience, the kind that haunts us throughout the year, is definitely not so fun.

But what if most of the fear that you do experience was not real? What if the things that scare you are just pretend?

We actually feel the true emotion of fear when something unexpectedly scares us and triggers our fight-or-flight response. Back in the caveman days, we needed the feeling of fear so that if a herd of tigers started coming at us, it would trigger fear and alert us to RUN (or sometimes we just end up petting the tigers like I shared about last week in my blog).

In modern times we rarely find ourselves in these types of fight-or-flight situations, so most of the fear we experience is something we create with our minds. We manufacture fear by asking ourselves the question, “What if?” and then following it with something negative or a worst-case scenario.

We scare ourselves with questions like: What if it doesn’t work out like I want, what if I fail, what if I loose, what if I get hurt, what if I can’t handle it, what if I get rejected? Do any of these “what if” questions sound familiar to you? If they do, you are spooking yourself unnecessarily. You have absolutely no proof that any of your what if statements are accurate because you are just making it all up!

Natural fear protects us and teaches us courage (read more about that here), but manufactured fear is worthless. So if you are going to manufacture “what if” statements at least make them good! Consider: What if it works out even better than I want, what if I rock it, what if I learn an amazing lesson, what if I fall in love, what if I discover an amazing amount of strength, or what if a miracle occurs?

Doesn’t that feel and sound so much better!?!?!

Save the pretend fear for Halloween.

Stop creating unreal fear that is really stopping you from either taking action or experiencing peace, inspiration and faith.

Love,
Christine

“Pick the day. Enjoy it – to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come – and don’t spoil any of it by fretting about the future.” Audrey Hepburn

“Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.” Charles Stanley