SIMPLE, ENJOYABLE STEPS, (TRY ONE NOW)
Sheila had wonderful plans for how her life would be. She sat at home visualizing her
beautiful future. She made lists, planned, and imagined how happy she would be when it all came to pass. When asked why she took no action, she always said the time wasn’t right. She wasn’t ready, the stars weren’t in alignment, she would know when the moment came.
Fear Stops Us Cold
Sheila didn’t realize that every moment is a good moment. There is no better time than now to begin. Another way fear trips us up is by telling us we can do it later, that we have all the time in the world. We don’t. We don’t even know if tomorrow will come. Now is the time. Now is a great medicine for undoing fear.
Do It Now – One Small Action
There is always some action you can take, however small, from which you will learn and grow more confident. Find something you can do, and do it now. See what needs to be done in the moment; take a tiny, doable step toward a larger goal. When you do what has to be done now, fear doesn’t have the time or space to grow strong. Fear grows in empty spaces, while you are waiting, imagining, hoping, and planning.
This one moment—Now—is the only thing you can never escape from, the one constant factor in your life. No matter what happens, no matter how much your life changes, one thing is certain; it’s always Now. Since there is no escape from Now, why not welcome it, become friendly with it?
—Eckhart Tolle
Truth wipes out fear on the spot.
Just a little light clears away lots of darkness away. Even a moment of truth begins to loosen the grip of fear. All the pain, damage, and illness created by fear seem very real, but they can be dissolved easily. As soon as you see the truth of the matter, fear loses its power to harm you. As soon as you stand in the truth and refuse to waver, the healing power of love appears. This is an indisputable law of the mind and heart.
Realize That Fear Is A Liar
Think of a lie fear told you that you believed and clung to. Realize now that it was a lie. Take a few moments and realize it more deeply. When you realize it’s a lie, What happens to the fear? Now, think of another lie and do the same thing.
Fear Means Nothing
Shana was constantly dwelling on the reasons she was so afraid. She took all her fears
about traveling as a sign that she should stay home. Whenever an image of danger arose about a trip, she thought about canceling. First she stopped flying—too many planes were crashing these days. Then she stopped taking trains—you never knew what could happen, she thought. This fear I feel means something; the pictures I see of trouble and harm are warnings of what is to come.
However, none of Shana’s fearful imaginings meant anything at all. They were all just illusions. The planes and trains arrived safely while she was locked up in her room.
A tremendous antidote to fear is to realize that it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get hurt, you’ve done something wrong, or you’re on the wrong track. It’s a ghost rattling a saber at you. It warns you of things that are not taking place, stirs catastrophic expectations, and even hides true danger. In fact, fear is just a feeling, based upon old thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and expectations you’ve been taught over and over and are trained to believe.
These old thoughts arises automatically, like heartburn when you’ve eaten something you can’t digest. If there is real danger, you will be in a much better position to recognize it—separate the false threat from the true—after you let go of the feeling of fear.