How To Make A Dream Reality: Fear vs. Courage

Photo Credit: Robert Campbell Photography

Part 1:

Fear is an illusive giant. What is it? What color is it? How is it shaped? Where can it be found? Fear is everywhere and no where at the same time. It has no shape, color, sound, form, or solid visibility. We can see and feel only its effects. What to do when fear is stalking? Stop. Turn around. Look at it square in the face, And what? Fear has no eyes, no face, and no form.

The truth is that fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real.

This step prepares you to overcome fear, and gather up the courage to write your dream plan and to build your Dream Plan Book.

A wise Eddie Rickenbacker once said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

This truth brings us straight to the condition of fear. Fear is instinct gone wild! It is a protective mecha- nism designed to keep us safe in the wild.

What is fear?

It’s the hidden evil monster under our childhood bed; the unseen wild animal that caused our ancestors to hover in caves to avoid being eaten, and today, it’s the dreaded Friday afternoon “pink slip.”

Modern day fear has transformed into massive social pressure. If we don’t look good, smell good, drive the right car, wear the right cloth- ing, pay our bills exactly on a sched- ule; we feel and fear our very livelihood is threatened.

When we combine analytical thinking with instinct, the dangerous result can be unrealistic, unhelpful fears, and negative imaginations. In fear we expect the worst; imagine something bad that happened before, or imagine our survival threatened while perfectly safe. By focusing on fear we create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Untreated fear can cause procrastination, indecision, blaming, immobilization, insecurity, and excuses, which all slow the realization of our dreams. Faith neu- tralizes fear. Instantly. When we act in fear, our nightmares come true. When we act in faith, we see our dreams come to life.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

And that was such a profound statement, because the object of our fear is not what harms us the most. What harms us the most is our fearful reaction. We have only to shine a flashlight under the bed, to make the invisible fear monster disappear.

We can neutralize fear most effectively by cultivating awareness of “pet fears” to move through them. Shine the light…talk about them, write about them, and take note of them during the day when they pop up in thoughts. Instead of pushing them away, begin to substi- tute with words of faith. The more they hide, the bigger they get! Feel the fear; shine your light of your awareness and faith on them to re- lease your hold on fear, and fear’s hold on you. It takes practice to make courage a new habit. Step into the new “promised land” of faith and personal success. To apply Step 1 to your life right now, write an inspirational comment in the Dreams to Reality Workbook to yourself about launching your courage.

Deborah S Nelson is a guest blogger for PickTheBrain and the founder of Author Your Dreams Publishing

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