Overcoming Your Fears

I love writing and talking about fear because it’s an emotion I’ve had a chance to face so many times – in acrobatics and in daily life too. I think the way you deal with fear transcends the content, the situation, the person. That’s because I believe that fear is a catalyst for change – and anyone or anything can be a catalyst.

If you are stuck in the rut of fear, know that you’re probably on your way out. Why is that, if you feel stuck? If you can think of a situation that makes you scared AND you know you’re stuck, it means that you have already risen a level of consciousness. In other words, you are not only afraid and stuck but unaware that you are stuck. Make sense?

The transformation of fear is the process of increasing awareness and then being able to execute conscious choice. Responding (able to respond) versus reacting (doing whatever the hell first comes to mind) is the difference, and the goal. I don’t believe in such a thing as “no fear” – unless you’re dead. If you have a pulse, then at some point in your life, you’ll be scared.

I’ve seen plenty of professional acrobats walk away from a jump, turn down a good chance to flip, and save the big move for another day. That includes me. You would think if there was one fearless group of people in this world, it would be an acrobat or a Navy Seal. I don’t have any Navy Seal friends, but all my acrobat friends have had their moments. That leads me to believe that no one is fearless (without fear completely).

What does this mean for you? It means you can jettison the emotional obligation of living up to a fictitious idol and breathe a sigh of relief as you acknowledge all your fears as normal, natural, and, get this, healthy. Why healthy of all things? Because fear is a great protector, a built in response to protect you from something that you perceive is dangerous.

Maybe you’re scared of a spider. You might say, I know spiders are harmless, so what is my fear protecting me from? I didn’t say that fears were rational or logical, but the mechanism is sound – protection. Rejoice in that! Be grateful that an emotion in you is there to serve you despite how silly it might be.

There’s more to say, but in the next post, I’ll reveal the fears I’ve had, the fears I have, and what I did or am doing about them

In Health and Love,

Alvin.