Facing Fears!

Consider a woman who wishes to break free from a controlling relationship, yet she is afraid of that person's response to her independence. This could be a friendship, a romantic relationship, or a family member. Women are particularly vulnerable to the fear of losing a relationship with a loved one. This woman might never have learned to set healthy boundaries, because she lacks self confidence, and she is in the habit of placing the interests of others before her own. She is selflessly serving the needs of others in a way that is damaging to her life. She allows her fear to supersede her deep-hearted longings. So, she foregoes voicing her true desires to agree with maintaining harmony with those around her. She might not speak up when she would rather see a different movie, or perhaps she won't correct a friend for always interrupting her in conversation. Maybe, even though she desires to start a coffee shop, she instead, goes to medical or law school to please the desires of her parents. She does what is expected of her, supports others, and sacrifices her life! 

There are so many additional examples of fears that hold us back: fear of failure, fear of success, fear of losing friends, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of change, etcetera. It's a human condition to fear and one aspect of life that ties people together across differences in background, upbringing, race, age wage and creed.  We don’t live in a perfect movie script or happy-ending storybook. We have the opportunity to develop our potential by breaking through fear barriers and becoming great achievers.

We also have the chance to develop deep and fulfilling relationships with others by being honest about our pain and working through the healing process together. We can trust in knowing that we were made for relationships with others. Fears can actually drive us to build strength and resourcefulness, and understand the difficult path that others take to overcome their challenges - because we have been down that same rocky road before them. This is what a relationship based on - love.

By recognizing and then acknowledging our fears, we can take steps towards courage. When you know that you are moving toward something meaningful, but your fear is standing in your way, then you have a reason to push through that obstacle. Give yourself permission to overcome the fear that is attempting to hold you back and go positively to impact the world around you! 

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From Dawn McIntyre