There is a saying about FEAR that it occurs when we Forget Everything And Run and that it is overcome by Facing Everything And Rise(ing) above. I agree with Napoleon Hill when he wrote “indecision is the seedling of fear” where indecision opens the door to doubting, and that doubt becomes fear. Fear paralyzes our mind and we can stay in that state of fear for a long time. There are six types of fear that can debilitate us. If we figure out what causes the fear, we can absolutely overcome it.
See The Cause… Know The Cure
Fear, as a state of mind, will put the body into its fight or flight status and quite often we end up in flight status, which is why fear never seems to leave. All fears can be categorized into six causes or reasons why fear approaches. They are (and ironically, they are also in order from ‘smallest’ to ‘greatest’) fear of poverty, fear of being criticized, fear of bad or failing health (which also includes diseases and cancers), the fear of losing love (not being loved), fear of growing old, and finally fear of death.
Each of these fears carries with them a series of warning signs that once we are aware of can cause us to look for the cure. I’d like to introduce a new view of what FEAR stands for. In my heart, I believe this to be how the causes of fear hold us into these fears. FEAR as a Failure [to] Engage, Act, Respond to the causes of fear can and do create strongholds which keep us, well… ‘gripped with fear’ as the saying goes.
FEAR: Failure [to] Engage – Act [or] Respond
The most debilitating fear and yet one of the easiest to overcome is the fear of poverty. Remember, fear is a sate of mind, therefore the first step to shifting anything in life is how we look at it. Poverty has six indicators: being indifferent, indecisive, walking around in continual doubt, uncontrollable worry, being over cautious, and procrastinating.
Fear of criticism shows its ugly head when we are overly conscientious of ourselves, when we exercise a timid personality (not introversion), feel inferior, lack poise, initiative, or ambition, or when we try to ‘keep up with the Joneses.’
Bad or failing health fear occurs if we become hypochondriacs, lack exercise (or physical health in general), if for some reason we have an auto-immune condition and don’t either walk through it or walk in denial of it, coddle ourselves for sympathy.
The loss of love often disguises itself or shows up as jealousy, being narcissistic, blaming, or taking unsafe chances (such as gambling, cheating, overspending).
Growing old comes with physically slowing down (which ironically, we often find our prime between 40-60), of killing off our imagination, initiative, or self-reliance that we can still ‘do it’ whatever that is.
Death is the one element that every single person has in common and has been debated across the realms of the spiritual to the agnostic. This fear can happen on just spending too much time thinking about death, and can also be the cause of other fears, such as poverty or bad health.
The Peace That Passes Through Understanding
The cure quite simply is the acknowledgment of being fearful. We are essentially the masters of this earthly destiny and as such the state of mind that we give ourselves will provide the power to control what we think about.
Finding peace of mind with ourselves, with the tangible and intangibles of life is critical. Whether you live in a mansion on a hill or in a van down by the river, what matter most in overcoming fear and living a prosperous life is the mindset we have.
Recognizing the causes, gives voice to the cure. Minding your mind gives it foundation. Surrounding yourself with the positive, the peaceful, the productive increases your potential. Potential is limitless.