Bigger Fears Equal Bigger Breakthroughs
Why embracing fear is counterintuitive and what to do about it.
Light is not possible with the absence of darkness. 🔑
Distractions
The easy way out of our fears including myself is to distract it away from us.
Producing fear within ourselves isn’t an easy task and something most people might find crazy.
So it’s much easier to wander through life without running 🏃 head into fear, than paying the price of success.
The Price of Greatness
I am no stranger to this because, based on my history I can wish something, but only determination and perseverance can set me free.
But of course it comes with a price.
Just like paying a massive bill for something you want,
What you want has a price, money 💴.
And your hopes and dreams has a price too, discomfort.
But ultimately it’s what we all need.
And it’s not something that I came to quickly, and will have to maintain for the rest of my life.
Otherwise we become trapped in the cave of familiarity where the fire is warm and nothing surprises us.
The fire 🔥 is comfortable, but the cold creates toughness. 🧊
I can attest to this because I lived within the boundaries of my mind and still do from time to time.
An example of the biggest fear I encountered with the biggest breakthrough was my series of breakdowns over the past four years.
As a young teen my life was on the line. It was during a time where the intimidation and hold anxiety kept me trapped in the cave of familiarity.
But this type of familiarity was far more dire. What was painful was also familiar and more comfortable than the greater pain I would experience beyond the prison my mind had held me captive.
Held Captive By Our Thoughts 💭
This prison was ocd, also known as obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD does not like it when its fear tactics no longer work.
For a good few years it knew the ins and outs of every fear I could imagine.
This eventually resulted in multiple hospitalizations and the prospect of maybe not finishing high school.
But once I found the key to unlocking the prison within my mind, nothing could stop me from being free.
But what was the key? 🔑
The bigger the fear the bigger the breakthrough. And sometimes the bigger the risk, the bigger the fall.
I realized that life comes with risk and fear whether you have crippling anxiety or not.
My choices became clear.
Side note: My realization while volunteering in Costa Rica 🇨🇷
The baby sea turtle 🐢 has a low chance of surviving but a better chance if crawls towards the open ocean. 🌊
What’s the point?
My mental health journey has taught me that our biggest dreams I life are on the other side of a fear beyond our comfort zone.
In our darkest hour we are on the cusp of seeing the light, but only if we continue to embrace the darkness.
Observations
This is where observing our fears comes in handy. If we are an observer of life we have the ability to notice our emotions, but not become them.
This misconception I had for the longest time was that I am fear. I am anxiety. I am depression. But the truth is that we experience life rather than becoming the experience itself.
I can experience fear, but I am not fear.
Responses
Responding versus reacting to fear is essential to be more courageous and achieve greatness.
Similar to observing life, once we notice an experience it creates separation between who we are and what we feel.
Therefore we can act based on what’s in alignment with our values regardless of the price of discomfort that comes with it.
I am not the master but the learner.
I am no master, but I firmly believe that basically nothing can touch us once we diffuse from identifying ourselves with emotions.
Examples To Act Now, And Embrace Fear.
Tell someone the hard truth even if it’s painful.
Start a business realizing you could fail, but also succeed.
Get a degree at an old age regardless of the judgmental thoughts that tell you otherwise.
Live gracefully like a sea turtle. Photo 📷 by my dad. (Dan Morgan)
Our Thinking Matters
Basically if we say we can, we can. And if we say we can’t we can’t.
It all depends on how big of a price we are willing to pay in proportion to the amount of success we wish to claim in life.