Addiction #32 – Fear (6 Steps to Freedom … Step 2)
Step 02: OPEN YOUR MIND
“I have accepted fear as part of life – specifically the fear of change … I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back.” ~ Erica Jong
Now that you have identified the areas in your life where fear has crept inside and curled up next to your heart (rediscovered while this chapter’s first post), and now that you have identified and at least temporarily freed yourself from the well-intended yet essentially self-centered ways in which you have been striving to make yourself “happier” (illuminated while reading the post preceding this one), we are now free to take the next step in cleansing our lives of fear – opening our minds.
And doing so requires looking with “new eyes” upon all the things in our lives that we dislike, and especially all the people we hate or find annoying.
Before we can be free of fear, we must have the courage to gaze anew upon the sources of that angst – with minds that are more curious than critical, and with hearts that are more compassionate that condemning.
So go ahead — make a list of all the things in your life that you would change if you could … all the pains, all the frustrations, all the heartaches, all the annoyances and all the worries. Make that list, and then have the courage to pull your head out of the tiny box into which your fear has shoved it …
Take a deep breath, and then take your head – and your heart – out of that box, and have the guts to really look at – and compassionately See — the other side of your fears.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather one’s discernment that
something else is more important than that fear.” ~ Ambrose Redmoon
“Avoid being terrified by your fears. After all, they are not here to scare you; they are here to let you know that something that might be daunting is actually worth it.” ~ inspired by C. Joybell C.
“Avoid giving in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to listen to your Heart.” ~ inspired by Paulo Coelho
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