The art to becoming FEARless

Overcoming fear doesn’t happen instantly  or  automatically.  It   is   the  result  of  deliberate intention,  and  conscious action  towards  doing things  that  scares  you.   As  a result  of  overcoming  your  fears,  you  grow  as  a person,  and  expand  the  possibilities  that  surround  your  life. 

 Many   times   when  I undertake global endurance adventures I map  out   the  areas  that  I fear  and  start  to  plan a method  to  overcome  that  fear. 

 Do   you  recall  the   last   time   you  wanted  to   do   something   so  intensely  but  fear got  in   your  way?  We   all   have   those  moments  when   we   are  enthralled  with   an  idea  only   to   have  fear prevent  us   from  moving forward.  What   can   we   do   to  overcome fear  from  paralyzing  us   from  moving forward  with   our  dreams  and  desires? 

 Have   you  noticed  how   the  concept  of  playing  it  safe makes  many  people choose  being  miserable  over   being  happy. 

 The  interesting  thing   about   the  human condition  is   that   the  minute  we  experience pain,  we   never  want  to  experience  it   again.   So   as  a result,  we   do  things  that   we  feel  will  ensure  that   we   do   not   get  hurt.  In  fact,  we   will   go   to   further  extents  to  avoid pain  than   we   do   to   gain  pleasure. 

 As   an  example; imagine  you  fall  in  love  and   you   give   every  ounce  of   your  attention  to   the  object  of   your  affection. Things  are  going  well   for  a  while   but   then   something  happens  and   the  relationship ends.  You  feel crushed  and   you  swear  to   yourself   that   you   will   never   again  allow  yourself   to   be   so  vulnerable.  As  a result, anytime  you  meet  someone  new,  you  remember  that  painful experience  and   you  bring  it   into   the  new relationship. 

Fear  of  risk  also  appears  when   it   comes   to   the  topic  of   being  successful financially.  For   some  reason  there   is  a belief  in   the  collective conscious  that   in  order  to  make money,  you   will   mostly  likely work  at  a job  that   you   do   not  love. 

 Too   often   as  children  we  hear  someone  say  to  enjoy  being  a kid  because   when   you   became   an  adult,  you   would   have   to   get  a job  in  order  to  pay bills  so   that   you   could   be  responsible.  It  sounds  as   if   being   an  adult  was   an  existence  made   up   of  misery  and   not  joy. 

Yes,  we   do   have   to   be  responsible  for   our  lives  and   we   do   have   to  pay bills  but   where  does  it  say  that   we   have   to   be  miserable? I  have   yet   to   see  proof  that   we   have   to   be  unhappy  in  order  to  pay  the  bills. 

 In   the  early 1990’s I  was  involved  in  a bad rock climbing accident. I remember  over   the   next   few  days  after   being  rescued  from  high  up  a steep cliff thinking  that   an  overdue  bill   will   never  bother  me   again  - I just cheated death. 

“Take  into  account  that  great love  and  great achievements involve great risk.”
~  His  Holiness  the  14th Dalai Lama 

 One   of   the   many  interesting things  about  life  is   that   nothing   of  value  was   ever  gained  by  playing  it  safe.  Take,   for  example,  the  founding  of  America. Fifty-six men risked  their  lives  by  signing  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Their  act  of  signing  that  document constituted treason  and   it   was  a  serious  offence according  to   the  laws  of   the  British Empire.  However,   they  knew  that   they  needed  to  sign  that  document  in  order  to  achieve independence. 

 To   have  a life  that   you  love requires  some  type  of  risk taking,  and  stepping  out   of   your  comfort zone  to  confront  some   of   your  fears. Let’s face  it,   the   only  sure  thing   in  life  is   the  fact  that   at   some  point  your  heart  will  stop pumping  and   this  fantastic ride  will   be   over.  

 Are   you  going  to  finish life kicking  and  screaming  about   what  a thrill  it   has   been   or  happy  that   it   is   all  over?  The  choice  is  yours…

Mark Jennings-Bates is a Keynote Speaker and Adventurer who entertains audiences with his tales fo adventure and appropriate anaologies from those adventures to assist people in life transforming change in their businesses, jobs and lives. For more information, visit http://www.MarkJenningsBates.com

Check out his eBook here on How To Overcome Fear