The Challenge of Fear

Napolean Hill, in his book, “Think and Grow Rich”,  writes as follows:

“Before we can master an enemy, we must know its name, its habits, and its place of abode.”

So in order to take on the challenge of eliminating fear in your life, I ask you the following questions:

What is your greatest fear?  Go ahead and name it and please be truthful to yourself.

According to Hill, some of our greatest fears are: POVERTY, CRITICISM, ILL HEALTH, LOVE OF LOVE OF SOMEONE, OLD AGE, AND DEATH.

Where does it live?  Is it only in your thoughts, your mind, or does it reside in other places like your job or your relationship?

What feeds your fears…or what triggers the emotions that fear brings with it?

Ask yourself, what is the worse thing that can happen if your fears materialized?

All human beings encounter fear in their lives or in various situations or circumstances.  The difference will always be in the way we respond to fear.

Oprah in one of her Life Classes, mentioned that she really experienced fear for the first time, when she decided to embark upon her OWN TV Channel….but she did it anyhow.

Do we “Feel the fear and do it Anyway,” as the title of Susan Jeffers book suggests, or do we allow fear to render us paralyzed and unable to move from our situation or mindset.

WHAT IF YOUR THOUGHTS REALLY DO CREATE YOUR REALITY?

Do you have the courage to change your way of thinking?

Napolean Hill considered Fear to be the first of the 7 Major negative Emotions.

They are Fear, Jealousy, Hatred, Revenge, Greed, Superstition and Anger.

Can you see how these emotions can feed upon each other?

“Faith and fear make poor bedfellows.  Where one is found, the other cannot exist.”

Those are also the words of Napolean Hill.  Today’s popular Preachers say that fear is the opposite of faith or faith in reverse.

Hill was of the opinion that “Fears are nothing more than states of mind.”

“Powerful and mighty is the human mind.  It builds or it destroys”.

Your mind is your spiritual estate.  Protect it, and use it with the care….to which divine royalty is entitled.

You either control the mind or it controls you.

All of the above are direct quotes from Napolean Hill’s, “Think and Grow Rich.”

The book was first published in 1937, during the Great Depression, and is still very relevant in today’s world.

When I started this post, the intention was not to make it a by product of Napolean Hill’s book,  but that is what showed up in my Notebook and that is what my fingers typed.  So for whatever it is worth,  I share it with you today.

I now understand what Dr. Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson and Neale Donald Walsh talk about when they say that words come to them and not from them.

Guess I am in pretty good company..

Maybe you will be encouraged to get a copy of that book and to read it, if you have not done so yet.  It’s worthy of being in your library collection.

As I leave, I want you to know that I too have my own fears, so I also speak from the experience of being paralyzed by fear.  I have had people say to me, “you have fears..I would never think so.”   Yes, I do.  After all, I’m human.

However, if you can go back to how it was to take your first step as a baby, you can treat fear in the same way.  Take one small step, one action to achieving your goal or to begin to eliminate your fear, and don’t look back…just keep moving forward.

Remember, in the words of William Ernest Henley,” I am the master of  my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

Control your mind, control your thinking, and in so doing you will move towards controlling your fears and improving the quality of your life.

You can read Susan Jeffers, The 5 Truths of fear at this website: http://www.susanjeffers.com/home/5truths.cfm

THE SECRET OF FORGIVENESS

FORGIVENESS is a hard word for many people, and an even harder act.  The very use of the word “forgive” or “forgiveness” cause people to tense up, to get angry and to go to a dark place of remembrance of an event(s) or a person(s) who caused them great pain. I have no doubt that forgiveness is hard…like asking the impossible sometimes, but what I do know for sure, is that the act of forgiving another brings a great sense of freedom to the one who forgives.  I recall being angry at a family member for many years. That anger clouded my judgement and stole my joy for a long time, as we, who refuse to forgive, continue to replay the events in our minds over and over again, even at the most unexpected times.  Some of us even speak about it incessantly, to the point that our loved ones get frustrated with us.  However, one day I just decided that I couldn’t keep hurting myself anymore and I needed to let this go. What a glorious moment that was when I made peace with my transgressor…..blessed relief.  It was as if a heavy load had been taken away from me.  I became a happier person.  I was no longer sitting in judgment of someone else. I have since learnt that forgiveness is not for the one who has wronged you, but it is for yourself, so that you can be free to move on to a better place in your life, free maybe to love again or to live again or to feel joy again, free to be energized again, free to heal yourself. Marianne Williamson, author of “The gift of Change”, says it well when she says, “the fact that I forgive you doesn’t mean you “won”.  It doesn’t mean you “got away with something.”  It simply means I’m free to go back to the light, reclaim my inner peace, and stay there.” Forgiveness is for you, so go ahead and be big enough to say, “I forgive you.” Your life will change for the better.

Here’s what some very wise people had to say about forgiveness.

The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is an attribute of the strong….Mahatma Gandhi

To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and discover the prisoner was you…Unknown

I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note–torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one. — Henry Ward Beecher

Always forgive your enemies.  Nothing annoys them so much…Oscar Wildes

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it…Mark Twain