The Paradox of Fear

Opportunities are what we make out of the circumstances surrounding us; they don’t come into our life broadcast on flashing billboards, we have to create them. At this very moment our life is full of opportunities, all we have to do is to take the chance and go for them, without looking back.
We tend to hesitate whenever a new door opens in front of us, presenting the chance to try something different. The fear of the unknown freezes us; just the thought of leaving our comfort-zone blocks our nature and immediately switches the “security button” to protect us from any collateral damages. Our very well trained brain raises all the possible alarms we can imagine, and immediately starts telling us: “You don’t stand a chance, this is not for you! You must be crazy if you are thinking on risking everything to follow a dream! What if you lose everything?”
These thoughts and many others populate our mind, convincing ourselves that we are better off doing what we already know than trying something else. We keep reminding ourselves that we can’t afford to daydream, losing the perspective and taking a chance of doing something that is not worth the risk. As a result we choose to keep walking through the paths we already know, the ones that don’t scare us or threaten our self-esteem, even if that means living in discontent.
Naturally we are inclined to believe that things will not work out, paradoxically it will take the same amount of energy and faith to believe the opposite, but instead we choose to trust our fear.
How can we accomplish the realization of the self if we are followers of fear?
Fear blocks our possibilities of becoming who we can be, since we allow it to grow bigger than our faith in ourselves. How can we do that to ourselves? How can we allow that False Evidence Appearing Real to take over and decide who we are?
Isn’t transformation the foundation of our own existence? Can we transform without embracing risk and change?
To be alive is to be fully present in the now, aware of the chances we are holding in our hands and acting on them. To be alive is to dream, believe, transform, experiment, love, to have faith as well as doubts, it is also to be afraid and above all to find the balance in between all of them.
Experiencing fear is a reminder that we are alive, fear should be embrace and let it be, we need to feel it and face it, but we do also need to have faith in ourselves and the courage to transform.

“There is much in the world to make us afraid.
There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid.”
~Frederick W. Cropp

Today, now, exactly at this moment do something you have been postponing for a long time. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake or failing, just follow you heart, listen to it and let things be; bear in mind that failing doing something we love is much more worthy than succeeding in something we hate.
Today, now, exactly at this moment tell your comfort-zone: “I’m leaving…”

“Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...
initially scared me to death”
~Betty Bender

© 2010 Gabriela Abalo

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