The one thing I have come to understand about life is that fear is a key factor to how we see the world. You see, my 16-month-old nephew has finally started walking. It took him a better part of 15 months to finally start the attempt to take his first steps without the help of anything. It was painful to watch because we felt that he needed to start at least by 13 months. But, also during this process you could see fear all over his face when we were trying to get him to walk. It is true that all children will just sense that they can walk and just start.
The “start walking on your own” action happened to another nephew of mine. His mom was recording him playing and then he just got up and started walking without any prompting. How it started with my 16-month-old nephew: he was hanging on to my brother’s leg and wanted to get to his dad. He didn’t feel the need to crawl — as he was doing that whole evening. Then all of a sudden he felt comfortable enough to take several steps. We are all amazed that this actually happened.
So how was my nephew’s fear being manifested? As he was starting to utilize his legs, he would hold onto walls, couches, or chairs. He would also cling tightly to your hands if you tried to let him walk on his own. Most times he would just drop to his knees and begin to crawl because that was where he felt safe.
So What Is Fear?
A few weeks ago I posed a question, “What insecurities prevented you from pursuing your dreams? The overwhelming responses had one word in common: FEAR. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of being judged. Fear of failing. So, what is fear? I think we all have a pretty good idea on what it is but, I am going to define it differently in two ways. First: Fear is an emotional grip that cripples rational thought.
How many of you have been in a car accident? You could have driven hundreds of hours and days on end. But, If you find yourself in a really serious one, fear cripples you from wanting to get back behind the wheel. Fear takes rational thought and basically throws gasoline on it. Fear plays on your insecurities like a fiddler on a fiddle. It makes you do and say things too prematurely. It stifles growth, forcing a re-evaluation of your current state of mind. Fear makes the pursuit of your dreams feel like a waste of time.
Are there other ways fear can play a role in our lives? Do you want to know the second way I’ve defined fear and how it can be used to your advantage? Stay-tuned for part 2
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