One day fear knocked on the door, courage got up and opened it to see no one standing outside.
(Martin Luther King)
Let's talk about fear
But before you read on, we ask you to take a few moments to think about your biggest fear.
Just focus on that feeling, on the sense of vulnerability that takes you. You felt mental tension, or even physical tension, you felt it inside you. Done?
Now you can congratulate yourself: you are completely normal.
Here at INFERNO we tend to think that fear is not a good traveling companion.
So this year, instead of being paralyzed by your fears, let them motivate you. So, as you begin your journey, remaining firm in front of what scares us, here are some useful tips to keep in mind:
Fear is the guardian of trust
As the old sdagio says: "To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done." Translation? The best things happen to those who leave their comfort zone.
Everything you want from life is there, ready to be grasped, but instead of being motivated to the maximum by fear, people often give in, ignoring that life is not giving you anything of value that is too easily accessible.
I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not the one who does not feel afraid, but the one who overcomes fear.
(Nelson Mandela)
Fear is a sign that something worthwhile is at stake
If you are not afraid to fail, it is likely that you have not set your goals with sufficient ambition. A common mistake is that courage is the absence of fear, when in reality it is the total acceptance and triumph of fear.
Why do we feel the butterflies in our stomach before the interview for the work of our dreams? Why is a marriage proposal so difficult?
Because something of the highest value is at stake.
The greater the fear, the greater the reward.
Fear is your friend
Said as it should be said, without fear none of us would be here, fear therefore deserves our thanks. Since the dawn of time, fear has prevented us from hurting ourselves, allowing us to make wise choices that have led to our survival as individuals and as a species.
In a world without an innate sense of fear, our species would have long been extinct because we would have had no internal guidance to keep us away from dangerous places or to lead us to choose safe caves.
Fear is often a false image that presents itself as real
Mark Twain once said "I experienced some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." Like Twain, most of our concerns are those concerns. We take illusory thoughts of self-limitation as they were reality and give these false thoughts the power to hold us back and limit us.
The next time you catch yourself making a negative film on your head, recognize it as such: a story with no connection to reality.
Vertigo is not. Fear of falling. But want to fly.
(Lorenzo Jovanotti)
Fear is universal
Since the only fear we have ever felt is ours, it is easy to be deceived by those around us who appear hard and calm. But you know what? Everyone is afraid.
Even boxing legend Mike Tyson, the toughest man on the planet, had no shame about being afraid.
To put it in Mike's words "When I go out (to fight) I have the utmost self-confidence, but I'm also scared to death. I'm terrified. I'm afraid of everything. I'm afraid of losing. I'm afraid I'm humiliated"
Now watch a video of Tyson walking in a ring. Can you see the fear in his eyes? No, because he controlled it and made it strong.
The truth is this, we can continue to talk at length about how fear is an illusion and how everything between you and the life of your dreams is just a little courage but we can only show you the starting line: who you have to take a step forward.
