Fear

When I was younger, I wasn't afraid of anything - or so I thought. As I've gotten older, I find myself worrying a little more, which, I believe, has it's roots in fear. Maybe because I've lived more of life now, so I realize that sometimes, in actuality, things can happen to people I know and love, or maybe it's because I'm more realistic about what I can and can't do - I don't know. But what I find is that fear is one of the most underrated, most powerful emotions that we all possess - whether we are aware of it or not. Fear is the motivation for many an action - whether conscious or unconscious. Fears are not rational or logical - you can't talk yourself out of them - sometimes we are not even aware we're being influenced by them. Some are obvious - I know people who prefer not to be in the dark or who won't go over a bridge or who aren't comfortable leaving their own homes. Some are more subtle and we would have to dig way down deep in ourselves to find them such as being afraid people won't like us or being afraid to leave a bad relationship because we're afraid to be alone. Whatever the fear (I believe each of us has one or some) living a life of freedom means choosing to name those fears, identify the actions associated with trying to make ourselves feel at peace and in control, and purposely charting a different path based on the fact that we are loveable and acceptable just as we are.