Are you in touch with your fears, or have you hidden them in the dark recesses of your subconscious mind? We all harbor certain fears, and it can be an uncomfortable experience to pull them out into the open.

Does it bother you to talk about your fears? Do you ever feel like you are the only one with those feelings? Would you be willing to coax those fears out of hiding if there was a chance of getting rid of them once and for all?

Everyone is afraid of something

At some point in time we have all allowed our fears to get the best of us. Lately, the economic uncertainty and the related challenges have become an emotional breeding ground for new feelings of fear, anxiety, and insecurity. Can you relate to this?

Most hidden fears are some combination of guilt and panic. Why those two feelings? Well, let’s take the fear created by economic uncertainty as an example. If, because of unavoidable circumstances, you have lost your income and others depend on you, then it is easy to feel guilty for letting them down.  On top of that, it’s easy for feelings of panic to creep in because you can’t figure out a way to remedy the situation. See what I mean about guilt and panic, they are a deadly combination.

Drag those fearful feelings into the light

Here is something you need to remember, fearful energy is like a fungus that grows in darkness. As long as your feelings of  fear reside in the dark recesses of your subconscious mind they will continue to grow. If something isn’t done to correct the situation you may eventually begin to feel paralyzed by those feelings.

The way to combat the malignant growth of fearful energy is to stop avoiding it and pull it into the light where it can be examined and dealt with. Granted, this can feel extremely intimidating, but it’s nothing compared to the adverse effects allowing those fearful feelings to continue expanding unchecked.

Fear runs on an emotional power source

Even though your fears are usually related to some personal challenge, they are not the same. Fear is an emotional response to the challenge, but it has an adverse effect on your ability to deal with the challenge in a resourceful way. That’s why the fearful feelings need to be dealt with first.

As long as your fears remain in hiding they are protected by a shield of negative emotional armor. Once you gather the courage to pull them out into the open that shield weakens and becomes vulnerable to your powers of reason and logic. Now you can use questions to whittle those fearful feelings down to size.

1) How does it serve me to allow these feelings into my life?
2) Does holding this fear help me overcome my challenge?
3) Is there any logical reason not to let go of this fear?
4) Can I choose to reframe the fear energy into motivation?
5) Can I do that right now?

What just happened? With just a few logical questions you have stopped a giant energy leak and made those resources available for finding a solution to your challenge. Yes, the challenge is still there, but now you are in a much more resourceful state to deal with it. From here, make a plan to deal with the challenge and start taking action. The more action you take the more resourceful and less fearful you will be.

Be proactive when dealing with your feelings of fear

Fear comes in all shapes and sizes: When left unchecked it can put a stranglehold on our lives and relationships. When we are under the influence of fear it robs us of the very resources that can help us overcome the underlying problem. Clearly, leaving your fears alone does not mean that they will leave you alone. Better to deal with them.

Hidden fear can have a paralyzing effect on your life, and it can surface when you least expect it. A life of true happiness and security is only possible if we have the courage to face our fears and overcome them. I hope this information has been helpful.

Are you currently dealing with any hidden fears?
Did you discover something that needs to be dealt with?
The lines are open!

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Want a blueprint for reframing fearful energy into motivation and excitement? This process is clearly outlined in section five of my book, TRUE SELF. That section covers the Power Connection on the True Self Connection Wheel.

It is a rare person who lives without fearful feelings of one kind or another.  You may be afraid of heights, or spiders, or new situations, or rejection. Whatever your fears may be, there are basically two ways of dealing with them. The first is to let those fears create boundaries beyond which you can’t move or grow. The second is to face your fears head-on and allow them to become opportunities to expand your life.  Which approach do you tend to use?

We should also acknowledge the fact that being afraid is not always a bad thing.  There are obviously some things that we should be afraid of as a matter of survival. In these areas our fears help us to exercise appropriate caution. But if we allow our fears to control us, we can easily cheat ourselves out of much of the richness that life has to offer.

Five simple ways to address your fears

Let’s consider five tactics to help you overcome your fears, whatever they may be, so they don’t get in your way and rob you of the richness of a full life experience.

1. Realize that everyone is afraid of something. No matter what you are afraid of, you are not alone. There are so many commonly held fears out there that they call them phobias. We’ve all heard of the biggies like Arachnophobia which is a fear of spiders. But how about Bibliophobia (fear of books), Dendrophobia (fear of trees), Leukophobia (fear of the color white), Philophobia (fear of love) or Pteridophobia (fear of ferns).

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Why did I mention all these weird phobias? Because, now that you have seen some of the things that others are afraid of, your fears probably seem a little more reasonable. The point is, everyone fears something and understanding this can help you feel less isolated in your fears. Your particular fears do not make you weird and even your deepest, darkest fear is not unique to you alone.

2. You don’t have to overcome your fears all at once. Let’s imagine that you are fearful of public speaking. You probably wouldn’t want to address this by booking a speaking gig in front of a thousand people.  All that would do is reinforce your fearful feelings. How much more reasonable it would be to start small and work up from there.

Fear is an acronym in the English language for
‘False Evidence Appearing Real.’ ~ Neale Donald Walsch

The same principle applies to most fears. If you are afraid to swim in the ocean don’t go to the north shore of Oahu your first time out. Instead, find a quiet little bay somewhere and get comfortable with that situation. Then, as you become familiar with the feel and rhythm of small waves, you can comfortably ease your way into something a little more challenging. One of the best ways to overcome your fears is with baby steps.

3. Approach your fears as opportunities to grow. This involves changing your emotional viewpoint. Obviously, nobody wants to live with fearful feelings. What would your life be like if you overcame your fears? What kind of new opportunities would be available to you if you could just release your fears?

Looking beyond our fears to the prospective benefits of overcoming them changes our focus completely. As long as we are focusing on fear, we feed that fearful feeling. Focusing on the benefits of overcoming our fears removes much of the emotional energy feeding them. Making a list of the pros and cons of dealing with the thing that you are afraid of can help give your focus new direction.

1) What are the potential benefits of overcoming your fear?
2) How might your life be different if you weren’t afraid of it?
3) What would you be free to do if you could let go of that fear?
4) What do you have to lose by giving up those fearful feelings?

If you can objectively appraise the advantages to moving past your fears, you will begin to see your them as an opportunity to grow.  There are many wise quotes based on benefits of facing our fears. For example:

Thinking will not overcome fear but action will. ~ W. Clement Stone

4. Don’t let your imagination magnify your fear. The truth is that most fears only live in our imaginations. We are fearful of what we imagine might happen if we step outside of our comfort zone.  To justify these fears we invent reasons why being afraid is a valid response. We can imagine all sorts of negative things when we contemplate something we’re afraid of, but this doesn’t make those things real.

The fears you don’t face control you. The fears
you face, you move beyond. ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

Being fearful of the unknown usually has nothing to do with reality and everything to do with insecurity.  If the outcome of facing your fears is unknown then why be afraid? What do you really have to lose if you take the risk?  Making a list of all the possible outcomes can quickly reveal how irrational most fears really are.

5. Failure isn’t necessarily the end of the world. If there is one fear that is common to nearly all of us, it is the fear of failure.  While there are some scenarios in which failure is potentially devastating, or perhaps even life-threatening, most of the time it isn’t.  Yet, apprehension over possible failure often acts as a huge restraint that deprives us of experiences and opportunities that could enrich our lives.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that
something else is more important than fear.  ~ Ambrose Redmoon

If you have an idea and don’t try it because you are afraid of failure, you’ve just given someone else the chance to try it instead. Sooner or later someone else will try it and they will eventually succeed. How will you feel then?  Our failures are really just learning experiences that lead us to new discoveries. Learning what doesn’t work is just a normal part of the process.

Beyond fearfulness

Most of the time our fearful feelings are nothing more than a conditioned responses to negative assumptions. By changing our perspective and encouraging our imaginations in a more positive direction we can move beyond those feelings and embrace amazing new opportunities and experiences. Don’t allow fear to rob you of that.

So then, what are you afraid of?
How do you deal with your fears?
The lines are open!

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Fear is like a two-sided coin. If we control it, we can use it to our benefit. On the flipside, if fear controls us, it will render us unable to accomplish anything.

Think about a roller coaster ride. Part of what moves people to get on a roller coaster is the fear, except they don’t call it fear, do they?  No, they call it excitement.

What makes it possible to embrace a fearful situation and see it as exciting and exhilarating?  In the case of a roller coaster, you see others doing it and having fun.  No one flew out of their seat, and all the cars stayed on the track.  So your mind becomes convinced that you won’t die.

Logic versus emotion

This is where the negotiation process begins between your mind (logic) and your emotions (fear).  Your mind says, “You can do this and it will be fun.”  How these internal negotiations turn out will have a lot to do with your level of fear and the reasons behind that fear. These are your paradigms.

Suppose that as a child, you saw someone fall to their death from a roller coaster.  Obviously, in that case, your fear is deeply ingrained and your mind will probably never be able to move past it, period.  In fact, your mind will likely support your emotions and your inner dialogue will be short and unchangeable.  “I’m not getting on that thing no matter what.”

There is nothing wrong with that kind of reaction. It is a natural, survival response that serves to protect you from danger.  That is why sane people don’t try to jump off of tall buildings in hopes of flying.  So fear can be a healthy, logical response to a dangerous situation, and that’s a good thing.

Turning fear into excitement

Now, let’s go back to the internal negotiations about the roller coaster ride. For someone with no fearful roller coaster references, what’s the likely outcome? Their mind will be able to reframe the fearful energy into anticipation of an exciting experience.

In this situation, the person whose mind is energized by a manageable amount of fear will be able to create a positive internal response called anticipation, which opens the door to a positive and exciting experience.

Because the human mind is capable of processing billions of bits of information per second, all of this can take place in a moment. So, most of the time, we just respond on autopilot without considering what’s involved.

Nothing happens unless we take action

This is where things get interesting.  Let’s say we made a decision to get on that roller coaster and have some fun.  So far, everything that has happened has been internal.  We haven’t really done anything yet, except make a choice.  The anticipation we feel after making that choice must be turned into action before we can experience any results.

Now we come to the defining moment. The special moment in time when we commit to following through by taking action on the decision we’ve made.

With reference to our roller coaster ride, it becomes a commitment at the exact moment when we climb aboard, place the safety bar across our lap and the cars start to move.  Now our anticipation grows into excitement.  Now our whole being becomes focused on this “experience” because we have made a commitment and we can’t go back.

How to harness the power of decisiveness

For an Olympic track athlete, the decisive moment comes when he brings to the starting line the sum total of all his training and focus, assumes the starting posture, the gun fires and he rockets into action.

At that moment his energy levels explode, his focus is unshakable and his commitment is absolute. You can use this same concept to propel you into truly focused action.

Making the shift from preparation to action

The decisive moment occurs when planning and preparation are transformed into action driven by a total commitment to success.  The surest way to accomplish incredible things in your life is to bring that same level of commitment and focus to the starting line before you launch into action.

Setting a goal, establishing a plan of action and fixing on a specific time to start, are all vital to success, but they actually make up the training and preparation phase.  These are the steps that prepare you for the action phase.

All systems go!

Yes, each step required you to make choices and then act on those choices.  Each step also moved you closer to your goal.  But everything changes at the decisive moment.  From that point on it is a new and completely different experience.  It’s game time.

This is the moment when you blow the doors off your limitations and you call up resources you didn’t even realize you had.  At this point, any residual fear becomes excitement, doubt vanishes and your commitment gives you the focus needed to blast through anything that tries to get in your way. Now it’s a rush, a living roller coaster ride and you are the one having fun.

Do you see application for this strategy in your life?
Are you seeing your fears in a slightly different way?
The lines are open!

This article is composed of excerpts from my book TRUE SELF. I wanted to give you a little taste of the powerful, life changing strategies contained in this book. If you haven’t read it yet you should check it out here.

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What is it that prevents you from doing all the things you really want to do?  Is fear involved?  Fear is such a powerful emotion that it can literally put a stranglehold on our lives. That’s often true, even when our logical mind says, “you can do it.”

This is because our emotions are more powerful than our logic.  In a battle between our minds and our emotions, guess who is going to win?  You’ve probably experienced this in your own life.  Have you ever been presented with a great opportunity and logically concluded that you should take advantage of it? Was it fear that stopped you?

The fear factor

Fear comes in all shapes and sizes.  For example, fear of failure creates doubt and anxiety, which can paralyze us from taking action.  Even if we are 97% sure that something will work out favorably, that 3% fear factor can stop us in our tracks.

Then there’s fear of ridicule or of displeasing someone whose approval is
important to us.  Emotionally, approval represents pleasure and it’s something we all long for. On the other hand, ridicule and disapproval represent pain and the strongest human tendency is to move away from pain.

So even when our mind is 97% sure that acting on this opportunity will result in pleasure, the 3% possibility of pain can be very persuasive.  This is especially true under challenging circumstances.  For example: the current economic squeeze that is being felt by just about everyone. It’s much easier to muster up the confidence to try something new when our life feels stable and under control.

Economic influences

The current economic situation however, is chipping away at people’s sense of stability and security.  Things that they felt they could count on, such as jobs and investments, are suddenly gone.  This can create a massive sense of fear and insecurity.  When you’re unsure of the things that you thought you could count on, how are you supposed to feel confident about trying something else?

Many times it’s our perception of circumstance that will determine how they affect us emotionally.  Is the glass half full or half empty?  Has the economy just dealt a fatal blow, or has it opened up a new opportunity?  It’s all about perception.

It’s much easier to maintain an optimistic point of view when we’ve got all our bases covered, or at least most of them.  It’s difficult though, to adjust to challenges when they come suddenly and unexpectedly.  When you’ve invested years in a company, a business or a financial plan, the tendency to adopt a negative viewpoint can be very strong when these assets are threatened.

Advanced life skills

Learning to control how we perceive the events and circumstances going on around us can feel very challenging, if not impossible. Logically, you may reason that such control is possible, but how do you feel about it emotionally?

Once again we see that fear can create doubt, which in turn prevents us from taking action.  So any program that attempts to teach you how to exercise control over your perception would also need to show you how to change the way you channel negative, fearful energy.  I use the term channel because energy is energy, it can be used for good or bad.  It can serve us, or limit us.

Having someone tell you that you need to view some event as an opportunity instead of a catastrophe doesn’t really help much, does it?  Being told that you are in control of your own emotions, including fear, is a lot different than being shown how to exercise that control.

Learning Advanced life skills

All too often, those who are looking for real help only receive bits and pieces.  It’s a challenging prospect to transform the quality of your life.  But for those willing to put forth the effort, I honestly feel that you deserve more than the partial information and abstract concepts so common these days.

My goal in writing TRUE SELF was to give you a practical, down to earth, step-by-step guide that was easy to follow, and that would successfully walk you through the complete transformation process. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, I also wanted to refine it down to a manageable size so it would not be overwhelming. I am very pleased with the results, and I think you will be also. Why not have a look at the reviews and see how much this book has helped others to make empowering changes in their lives?

Has fear been getting in your way lately?
Do you feel like there are fewer opportunities available to you?
The lines are open!

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My book TRUE SELF is the fastest inexpensive way (coaching is the fastest) to make positive life changes very quickly. Do you want to discover your core passions, dismantle your hidden, limiting beliefs, and realize your most desired goals? TRUE SELF will guide you smoothly through the process.

Are negative thoughts and beliefs preventing you from moving forward with your goals and dreams?  If so, how about taking some steps to detoxify your mind!

We usually think of detoxification as the process of removing toxins from our body to achieve a greater level of health and well-being. What most people don’t realize is that our minds can also become incredibly toxic.

How do you know if you have toxic thoughts?  Well, do you find yourself feeling powerless, hopeless, intimidated, frustrated, ineffective and stuck? Granted, everyone experiences some of these feelings occasionally, but if you spend much of your time feeling like this, you’ve definitely got a case of mental toxic overload.

Two simple steps to detoxify your mind

To eliminate toxic thoughts we need to capture them and move them out of our mind. How can we do that? Have you ever heard the phrase: I need to capture my thoughts on paper? How about this one: I need to wrap my mind around what it says here?

We can use the principles in those two common phrases to purge our mind of toxic thoughts, and to replace them with a more positive and empowering thought pattern. This will, in effect, radically alter our perception of our own abilities.

First, purge the toxins

The first step is to find a way to purge the negative thoughts and beliefs that are holding you back.  One of the best ways to do this is to write them down.  Grab a blank sheet of paper and a pen, and start writing how you feel about yourself, your goals, your dreams, and your life in general.

You might end up with statements like these:  “I feel so sick and tired of struggling.  No matter what I do I can’t seem to make changes.  I really think I’m defective somehow because I can’t do the things that other people find so easy.  I’m doomed to live a life of mediocrity and lack.  I’m powerless to change anything in my life.”

Keep writing until you’ve covered everything you can think of.

Next, create the antidote

All of those negative thoughts and beliefs you just wrote down are literally polluting your potential!  Unless you replace them with something more empowering, they’ll continue to influence everything you think, say and do.

Grab another sheet of paper and begin writing a positive statement that directly contradicts each negative one.  However, be sure you write it in a way that is believable to you.  Using the examples from above, your antidote might look like this:  “I am absolutely determined to make better progress on improving my life.  I can make changes simply by taking one step at a time and believing in my own ability.  I am learning new and powerful life skills to help me conquer challenges and move forward.  Other people who appear to have it easy may have been working on this stuff longer than I have.  I will eventually reach the same state of confidence and mastery.  I know I have the power to learn, grow, and make my life into something meaningful and fulfilling.”

Now, make the switch

Once you’ve got your antidote ready, destroy the toxins.  That sheet of paper you wrote all the negative stuff on is now where those toxic thoughts live. When you wrote them down, you took them out of your mind and relocated them to that sheet of paper. Now that you have them where you want them, it’s time to eliminate them from your life.

Take that piece of paper and burn it or rip it into tiny shreds and throw it away.  Feel the relief that comes from knowing that those thoughts are no longer part of your life. To make sure they don’t sneak back in; take the antidote every single day!  Read your new empowering thoughts as often as you can and do your best to internalize them as part of your new identity.

Fortify your mind

In most cases, a tiny bit of toxins usually won’t cause a big problem, but if you allow them to build up over time they can wreak absolute havoc in your life.  That’s true with both physical and mental toxins.  By taking the antidote on a regular basis, you minimize the buildup of mental toxins in your mind and automatically empower yourself to do and be more than you ever believed possible.

Does this seem too simple to be effective?
Are you willing to give it a try and find out?
The lines are open!

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What is preventing you from the relentless pursuit of your most cherished dreams? Is it circumstances? Are you keeping your dreams on hold thinking that as soon as your situation changes you will seize the opportunity and go for it?

If that is what you’ve been telling yourself then you might want to examine your situation a little further.  Is it possible that there is something else holding you back? Could it perhaps be some underlying fear that you haven’t quite come to grips with?

Don’t let fear rob you of your dreams

There is an incredible array of fears that can influence us in many subtle and deceptive ways. So much so that we often don’t even recognize their existence. Besides, even if we do recognize their presence, it does not necessarily mean that we will have the courage to break through those fears and take action.

Sometimes, we knowingly allow fear to stand between us and our dreams. Sadly, if we do that long enough, chances are, we will eventually abandon our dreams and rationalize our choice with logical sounding excuses.

This does not need to happen to you. You don’t have to allow fear to hinder your actions and destroy your dreams! With a simple shift in perspective, you can learn to transform that fear energy into excitement and use that positive energy to your advantage. 

Which side do you focus on?

Learning to shift our focus away from what we stand to lose, and toward what we stand to gain, will completely change our perception of the situation. This simple shift can quickly leave us feeling more courageous and eager to take action!

Many people are in the habit of seeing the negative side of any challenging situation. If we focus more on how big the challenge seems, instead of the potential benefits, we will resist taking action because all we can see is the potential, negative risks involved. The more we focus on the possibility of loss the more fear we create.

With this kind of mindset, wanting to move forward toward our dreams probably won’t provide enough incentive to overcome these fears. As a result, we will continuously hold ourselves back and end up accomplishing far less than we are capable of.

What are the positive and negative possibilities?

You may find it helpful to make a list of any specific fears you have and get them out in the open. In each situation that leaves you feeling hesitant or fearful, try to evaluate exactly what is holding you back. What is it that you are afraid will happen and why? Are those things really likely to occur, or is there only a slight chance?

Then use a separate sheet of paper and create a list of the benefits you stand to gain by moving forward. Be as specific and optimistic as you can. Remember that dread and fear will amplify your perception of the negative possibilities, which can make the positive benefits seem significantly smaller or less important. So, you may need to work a little harder at emphasizing the positive.

Use this information to make a balanced decision

Looking over these two lists should give you a more balanced view of your options. It will also provide the clarity you need to decide whether to move forward or not. You may decide that you have valid reasons to hang back a bit longer, and it’s perfectly fine as long as you aren’t allowing unrealistic fears to decide for you.

If you see that the possible negative consequences are more than you are willing to accept at this time, you can either come up with some less risky options, or simply hold off and reevaluate at a later time. Deciding to back off can require just as much courage as deciding to move forward, but in this case, your decision is based on sound reasoning rather than emotional paranoia.

Don’t let fear get in your way

If you do decide that the time to take action is now, you may still need to work at building up your courage a bit before you act. Creating a well thought out plan of action will go a long way in this area. Remember, the only person with the power to hold you back, or move you forward, is YOU. At its core, courage is largely the determination to conquer any fear, hesitation or excuse that attempts to separate you from your dreams.

Whatever you do, don’t try to convince yourself into believing that you have to be completely fearless before moving toward your goals! The most successful people in the world would openly confess that they eventually had to be resolved to move forward despite their fears and feelings of uncertainty!

Courage is absolutely a choice, and fear does not have the power to rob you of your dreams, motivation, and strength unless you decide to let it.

How are you doing in the pursuit of your dreams?
Have you ever wondered what’s been holding you back?
The lines are open!

The entire process of transforming fear energy into eager anticipation and motivation is covered in detail in section 5 my book TRUE SELF. This section, Harness the Power, includes six chapters devoted to helping you fully harness your internal power connection.

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Head to head, eye to eye, I didn’t dare breathe; my moist breath might provoke a serious strike. Inches from my face, my neck, it would be the worst place for venom to enter my body.

I could see each individual scale on his head. His rapidly throbbing throat stretched so tautly it appeared distorted. Two glass-like black eyes bulged with fear and stared straight into mine. His tongue flicked between black scaly lips to taste the air. Can he taste my fear?

Do I have your attention?

Great, because what you have just read is from the introduction to Robin Easton’s new book Naked in Eden. This book is absolutely mesmerizing from cover to cover and I know you are going to love it.

Naked in Eden is available in all major bookstores as of today. So please, do
yourself a favor and read this incredible story of Robin’s “Adventure and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest.”

Robin Easton up close and personal

I wanted to take you behind the scenes for a candid conversation with Robin as I asked her some personal questions about the creation of this masterpiece. For some reason I could not get the audio player to work within the post, so it will open on a separate page. In these two short audio interviews Robin responds to the following questions:

1) While you were writing this book, how did it feel to go back and relive those adventures and what did you learn from this experience?

Robin Easton Interview 1

2) The success of this book (inevitable) will actually expose you to a world that is the opposite of what the book describes. What kind of personal growth do you see as a result of this fusion of two completely different worlds?

Robin Easton Interview 2

Get this amazing book!

I honestly can’t say enough about how exceptional this book is. Not only is the story totally captivating, but Robin is the most gifted writer I have ever known. You won’t be able to put it down. Naked in Eden on Kindle

Robin Easton was twenty-five when she left the United States and went to live in the remote tropical Daintree Rainforest of Queensland Australia. This is her true story and it’s one you really don’t want to miss!
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I hope you enjoyed these interviews as much as I enjoyed doing them. In addition to picking up a copy of Naked in Eden, you will probably want to visit Robin on her blog. She is also on twitter, facebook, YouTube and Robin is a contributing author for Sharing Life Skills newsletter.

This was the first interview I have done as a podcast,
Robin and I would love to hear your feedback!

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Fear is something we have all experienced at one time or another. Some people are so wrapped up in fear that they live in a constant state of paranoia. Others seem to experience very little fearful influence in their lives. What influences which side of the fear fence we are on?

I’ve always been fascinated by the subject of fear. On occasion, I’ve also been surprised by my own reaction to it. I’ve come to appreciate that there are different kinds of fear that serve different purposes and come from different sources. Some are healthy and some are not.

Should you fear a bear in the woods?

When I first moved to the forest, I knew that sooner or later I would encounter a bear. I played this scenario out in my mind and was convinced that when it happened, I would be able to put any fearful feelings out of the picture and make the most of the experience. I envisioned myself face-to-face with this bear in a state of peaceful coexistence and unspoken communication. And then, one day….

I was helping a neighbor run a fence line near a ridge on a steep hillside. We had just sat down on the uphill side of the fence for a water break. Up the hill just behind me I heard a rustling and turned around to see what it was. Suddenly, I saw this huge black face appear from out of nowhere. It looked right at me. He was close, very close, and it really caught me off guard.

Before I tell you what happened next, I invite you to stop for a minute and imagine yourself in this situation. This big bear is so close that with one leap he could be on you. How would you respond? Do you think you would be afraid?

To fear or not to fear, there was no question!

The next few seconds happened on automatic pilot. Whatever plans I had made for this encounter ceased to matter. Somehow, I had vaulted over the fence and was probably fifty feet away before I even realized I was moving. I thought: “What are you doing, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.” I turned around to see that poor startled bear running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

I was surprised and a little disappointed by what had just happened. Instead of some zen like moment of oneness with a wild beast, I had been transported through time and space by the power of adrenaline, and evidently, so had the bear. I wondered, was this a victory for fear? My answer would come soon enough.

Another surprise was waiting

In those days there were a lot more rattlesnakes around and I had heard the ominous sound of the timber rattler many times. I figured it was just their way of helping us respect each others space.

One day while walking through the forest I was caught in mid-step by that disruptive rattling sound. I glanced down and realized that I was about to step directly on a coiled timber rattler. Time froze and once again I was transported by the mysterious power of adrenaline to a position of safety several yards behind the danger zone.

Sometimes fear is your friend

I immediately begun to see my encounter with the bear in a different light. These two experiences had triggered a reaction that was hardwired into my genes. I know that there are those who handle poisonous snakes and commune with bears in more controlled settings, but this was not the same!

These were surprise encounters in which my genetic programming kicked into survival mode. Genetic wisdom had taken complete control of my mind and body, exactly as it was designed to do. In most cases, any attempt to override this built in safety program would result in dire consequences. Sometimes, fear is your best friend.

Not all fear is the same

During my first summer in the forest I had no plumbing. When I got tired of bathing in creeks and rivers I would go to a nearby campground and pay for a nice long hot shower. On one such trip I met two women from New York City who were camping. When they learning that I lived in the forest, one of them said that she thought I must be very brave for living that way.

Surprised, I said “let me get this straight, you live in New York City, right?” She confirmed. I assured her that they were both much braver than I was. While she saw the city as a place of security, my perception was exactly the opposite. To me, big cities represented danger and the forest represented safety. This brings us to a second kind of fear.

Perceptual fear

Perceptual fear has to do with how we anchor our experiences, real or imagined. While perceptual fear may feel like it’s hardwired into our nervous system, it is actually based on emotional choices we make consciously and subconsciously.

We all have some degree of perceptual fear and just like its instinctual counterpart, it can serve as a protection. A good example is when we stand too close to the edge of a cliff and we get butterflies in our stomach. That can be a protection.

Being emotionally based, perpetual fear can also lead us in some unhealthy directions. Things like prejudice, mob mentality, panic, paranoia, limiting beliefs, and a wide variety of phobias are closely related to this kind of fear. Perceptual fear is based in insecurity and can easily get out of control.

Stop feeding the beast

Clearly, all fears are not the same. In an emergency situation our response may be instinctive and automatic. But the destructive fears that plague people today are not beyond our control. Perceptual type fears are contagious and are often perpetuated by propaganda. Constant exposure to sensationalized bad news reports is a perfect example.

Movies, TV shows, and computer games that focus on crime and violence send powerful messages to our subconscious. Perceptual fear is on the increase and much of it is self-induced. It’s difficult to feel secure in a war zone and yet many people are choosing exposure to that same kind of negative energy. You can’t feel happy and secure on a diet of fear and violence.

Choose fearless

I invite you to take a close look at what you are feeding your mind. There is an emotional price to pay for embracing fear based entertainment in any form. No one is immune to the images, sounds, people, and thoughts they are consistently exposed to. That means that we all have the ability and the opportunity to influence our perception.

If we choose to surround ourselves with positive energy, that is what we will reflect. We tend to see ourselves reflected in the world around us. If we are fostering fear, the world will look more fearful. On the other hand, if our reality is built around positive energy, that is what our world will reflect back at us. When it comes to perception, we always have a choice. Yes, we can even choose to be perceptually fearless.