Really, fear can be a positive thing. Or, at least, getting past a fear can be a positive thing. It propels you forward with incredible energy to move beyond other fears. Fears keep us stagnant, stuck in our current consciousness and moving past one takes us to a new level.
Recently, my seven year old daughter, Sierra, discovered the power of getting past her fears. She has always been afraid of feeding animals. Whether it was a treat to a friend’s dog or feed to an animal at a petting zoo. She would desperately want to feed the animal and try, only to pull her hand back in fear. Recently we visited a petting zoo. She was attempting to feed a sheep and was again pulling her hand back. I asked if she wanted to go, telling her it was okay to be afraid and she would be able to do it eventually. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “Mommy, I promised myself I was going to do this. I am not leaving until I do.” (I was so proud of her!) I sat with her silently for twenty more minutes before she finally did it. Then I continued to supply her with sheep feed for another 45-mintes as she experienced the exhilaration of getting past a fear. (It was the best $5 I ever spent!) (Yes, this is actually her, feeding those fabulous sheep!)
A day later, she told me that her math class was going to be performing a play. Not all the children could be in the play because there weren’t enough characters. She asked her teacher if she could be in it. I asked her if she was excited and she said, “No, being on stage scares me. I am ready to get past the fear, though.”
Did the experience with the sheep affect her? Of course it did! It gave her strength, energy, and the consciousness to let go of more fears.
So, do you have a large fear you want to overcome? Start with some smaller ones, they will set you up for the bigger ones!
(By the way, I asked her if I could write about what happened and she agreed as long as she could help me write it. In retelling it, she had the same boost of power that she did when she was feeding the sheep! Interesting, isn’t it? Reliving situations that make us stronger, give us a boost of positive energy. Just think of what reminiscing about things that made us weak do...)
Related Posts:
My Response to Fear
monday morning musing (on fear)
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