Fear.
Fear is a filthy liar.
Your brain’s primary job… duty, responsibility…
… is to keep you safe. Alive. Stagnant.
Exactly where you are.
In order to do this, your brain creates ‘what ifs’.
Some dismiss this as anxiety. Some just say it is ‘natural’. Some believe it is just how life is ‘supposed’ to be.
What if they don’t like me? What if everyone abandons me? What if no one believes me?
What if I fail? What if I am exposed as a fraud?
What if the walls fall in? What if the ceiling collapses?
What if I die?
What if your brain is wrong?
What if none of that happens, and I succeed?
What if I prove my expertise, people accept me as real, people embrace me, society benefits from my valuable knowledge and experience, and I help millions of others in the process?
What if I am truly worthy, valuable, and equal?
Fear stops many in their tracks. Fear is the #1 killer of dreams, hopes, desires…
We stop trying because we convince ourselves our dreams are
dangerous.
What ifs are simply a response to a lack of confidence in oneself… a lack of confidence that we can handle a potential scenario.
Our fear, which is supposed to keep us safe… keeps us incomplete.
Fear is a filthy liar.
I often tell the story of the anxiety I created for my daughter.
She was 3 years old on a tricycle, in our cul-de-sac in front of our home.
I was working in the garage.
I told her she could ride around the cul-de-sac… but if a car came, if someone walked into the cul-de-sac, come home quickly…
… “because I don’t want anyone to steal you”.
I was doing the best I could at being a father. I knew no better at that time.
When a car appeared, a worried look on her face also appeared, and she peddled as hard as she could to get home, to be near me, to be safe.
I taught her to fear the world.
I failed her.
She is now 14 with social anxiety. She fears to talk to those she does not know. She fears strangers…
… she does not want to be stolen.
The fear I built in her to keep her safe… is holding her back in life.
She is not in danger when she calls to order food, picks up a pizza, or goes out with friends.
She is as I built her. But her fear is a filthy liar. It is holding her back.
I held her back.
Your fears are a representation of your experiences, your learnings, your comfort zone.
Your fears are trying to keep you safe. But they hold you back. Your fears are filthy liars.
In order to become our dreams, we must become comfortable beyond our fears. We must embrace the unknown. We must take comfort in being uncomfortable.
We must be fearless.
Most avoid
their fears.
They will believe and succumb…
… to the filthy liar in their skull.
The brain lies to you. Constantly. Just listen to it. It is telling you lies. It is conditioning you to be exactly who you are. Right now. No better. Just comfortable. Just stay where you are. You are safe. You are alive.
You are stagnant.
In order to grow, expand, & develop you must be stronger, more courageous, more real than your fears.
The difference between living your dreams and being your best self, or being stagnant, is your ability to overcome fear.
Fearlessness is the key to your dreams.
If you begin to listen, if you begin to become aware, if you understand the lies…
…you can achieve your dreams.
You are the only one
holding yourself back.
So stop.
You can. It is your choice. No one else’s. You can decide today. With one choice.
I ultimately succumbed to my fears and limitations I imposed on myself… and faltered…temporarily.
Now I work daily to challenge my own limits, boundaries, and comfort zone.
I separate lies from reality. I know when fear is my friend…
…and when the filthy liar is whispering in my ear to keep me stagnant.
I overcome daily. You can too.
You are the only one holding yourself back. From your goals and dreams.
You are stronger, more worthy, more deserving, and more valuable than you know.
It’s not easy, not hard, not impossible.
It’s a journey. A journey worth taking. It will be the most wonderful journey of your life.
I assure you. I promise you.
I commit to you.
You are enough. You are stronger than you know.
Love yourself enough to find out.
Your filthy liar will become powerless. You will be limitless.
You will become fearless. You will live a High Performance Life.
Accept the challenge.
Only you can. No one else can make the decision for you.
Everyone fights their own challenge. You need not worry about anyone else’s opinion.
Only your own.
You are enough.
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Previously published on mikekitko
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Talk to you soon.
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