What Are You Afraid Of?

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." -Marcus Aurelius

When you were younger were you afraid of the bogey man? We all conjured up an image of what he looked like and what might happen if he appeared in our bedroom doorway at night. Oh, you remember those scary feelings that could only be quelled by a night light, the hall light or jumping in bed with another family member.

And, the more we would dwell on him the bigger and scarier he became! Then come to find out, he wasn't even real! It's the same with your fears. Although they seem to be more real than the bogey man, and granted some people actually do have phobias, for the most part we manufacture our fears.

Our experiences and our thoughts become virtual stone masons constructing walls tall enough and wide enough to protect us from the things we fear the most. And inside these walls we line our fortress with the kinds of thoughts that will rationalize away why we do what we do, why we are who we are, why we have what we have or don't have and why it's safer here, than out there!

People are afraid of being hurt so they won't allow themselves to get involved again. They are afraid of failing so they don't try. They are afraid of success so they don't try either. They are afraid of not being liked so they don't go out. They don't trust people so they keep their guard up and the list goes on and on and on.

But, just like the bogey man can hold you back from a good night's sleep, so can your fears hold you back from experiencing the one thing you may want the most in life. And, just like the bogey man will go away when you acknowledge the truth that he isn't real, so will your fears go away when you acknowledge the truth that what makes them real is your thinking.

You've heard the saying: You can make Heaven out of Hell or Hell out of Heaven. Well, you can magnify your fears by keeping them in the forefront of your mind and the worst part is that what you focus on you will attract to yourself!

Or, you may not even be aware that you are being controlled by your fears but more than likely all of the decisions and choices you make are governed by them.

You've probably also heard the saying: The only thing to fear is fear itself. Ask yourself what you are afraid of, what is it that is holding you back? Once you have the answers to these questions you can begin to face your fears. When you acknowledge them, what lies beyond is the opportunity to experience life the way you may have thought impossible before.

When you break out of your protective walls and do the thing you fear the most it somehow isn't as scary and once you get beyond it you will realize that it was your thinking that held you captive the enitre time.

So if there is something you want to do, be or have and you are feeling apprehensive about it, let go, let your hair down and get rid of the bogey man once and for all. Don't be afraid to walk through your fears because when you do you'll be amazed at what is on the other side!


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