Mary and Fiona each won a copy of The Intuition Principle by Angela Artemis. Thank you to everyone who participated!
There was no time for fear when I was growing up. My nine siblings and I, worked on our 80 acre produce farm, three seasons of every year, until we left home. We worked every evening, every day we weren't in school, and every weekend.
School work and time for study was secondary. Academically I slid by. I didn't fail but I could barely maintain above average grades. There was no discussion of college with this farm girl.
I was a teenage mom and the mother of four daughters in my early twenties. We took our family to church every Sunday because it gave Hubs and I a two hour break while the girls attended Sunday school.
Even though I never played a sport in my life, I joined the church softball team and felt a part of something outside of motherhood. Father Don, the priest, was young, hot, and helped coach the team.
He was also insightful and philosophical. The experience was fun and enlightening. It was my only social outlet.
Don, (as he liked to be called), suggested that I attend college part-time when the twins began kindergarten. I laughed because I didn't think I was smart enough. He insisted. I was terrified.
He decided to drive me to the campus and show me around. He helped me to sign up for two classes, "speed reading" and how to study. Smart man!
Nine and a half years later I graduated. I never took more than two or three classes a semester. I would go to class during the day and leave a list of chores for the girls to do when they arrived home from school on the bus. One of the chores was to get dinner start. It was a lot of responsibility for young children. I studied after they were in bed at night.
I loved learning. You could say I was, "hungry." I continued on for my master's degree in counseling psychology.
I was blessed to have Hubs support, Don's faith in me, and the girls commitment to help out.
As you know, life is full of uncertainty. You need to have more faith than fear, more persistence than doubt, and the help and support of family and friends to reach your goals. In the end, this is what makes for a colorful and meaningful life.
Read on for 9 tips to live bold and fearless:
If we can let go of our own fear we can remove fear from the world. ~ Unknown
You are not your fear. It’s not even a part of you. Fear is a story, an illusion, an emotion. Mentally see fear as separate from yourself. Don’t identify yourself with fear. Don’t label yourself a fearful person. Instead, examine the emotion, the story, the illusion. Upon examination, notice how it is separate from you and witness it lose it’s power.
…without darkness nothing comes to birth, as without light nothing flowers. ~ May Sarton
Fear lies. Don’t believe your fear. When you know you’re not in any kind of danger, do the opposite of what fear tells you to do. If fear says, ”Don’t go to the party, nobody will notice you.” Go anyway. When fear says, “Don’t ask for help. The answer will probably be no.” Ask anyway. Do what fear doesn’t want you to do. You are good enough. You are smart enough. Begin where you are!
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. ~Les Brown
Talk to your fear. Ask fear what it wants. Does it have something to teach you? Does it have a message for you? Next tell fear that you're in charge. You're the leader. Tell your fear to get in the backseat. Put yourself in the front seat. Lead with faith, not fear.
Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive —
the risk to be alive and express what we really are. ~ Don Miguel Ruiz
Say yes to life. Be open to possibility. Say yes to going with the flow. Say yes to a new perspective. Say yes to responsibility. Say yes to the challenge. Say yes to risk. Say yes to new and different. Say yes to your dreams. Yes to creating passion, and purpose. Say yes to new things, new people, and new places. Say yes to love!
Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom. ~Mary Ferguson
Zigzag through life. The road to happiness and success isn’t a straight line. Things go wrong, plans change, stuff happens, people die. Anytime you are off track, take the time to regroup and get back in the saddle again.
Start a huge, foolish project like Noah. It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.
~ Rumi
Relax out of fear. Use guided meditation to relax your body. When your body is relaxed, your mind will relax as well. You cannot be totally relaxed and fearful at the same time. Learn to breathe properly. Breathe your way out of your fear.
Go back a little to leap further. ~ John Clarke
Resist hesitancy. Make up your mind to change and take action. If you have a drinking problem, attend A.A. If you want to lose weight, join Weight Watchers. If you want to become a professional speaker, join Toastmasters. Don’t hesitate. Some of the most kind and friendly people in the world are a part of these organizations. You have more power than you can ever imagine. Begin now.
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. ~ E Hubbard
Let go of the end result. Learn to do your best and let the rest go. You can't know, see or do everything. Put your best effort into every area of your life. Do what needs to be done and surrender the rest. Let go of control. Breathe. Your Higher Power, God, or the Universe will take care of the rest.
"Fearless" is living in spite of those things that scare you to death. ~Taylor Swift
Surround yourself with the best. Look for wise mentors. Choose loving friends. Enroll in the best seminars. Read one book a week. Eat healthy food. Do yoga. Fear can't blossom in a positive environment.
Live out loud, live in color, now is your time, today is your day!
Source: rachels-art
Who was a positive influence in your life? What have you done that you didn't think possible?
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