How doubt and fear destroy

I have learned in my life that there are numerous layers to our doubts and fears.  When I have successfully tackled some of my doubts and fears, I have grown in leaps and bounds but then, new layers appear that seem to choke my progress.  I do not believe that we will be 100% free of doubt or fear and maybe that is a good thing because they help us aim higher and higher for bigger and more ambitious goals. 

I do believe there are ways to help us control them; ways that can benefit our course of action and enable us to better handle and improve our quality of life.  For example, when you are challenged by a fearful experience, plow forward.  This is not the time to retract but rather a time to stay alert and aware of your doubts and fears and move through them.  In other words, stand face to face with your fears and actually speak to them.  They are your feelings and they have a voice.  Ask your doubt and fear to speak to you and let you know where their basis or root stems from.  You may be surprised to discover that what you fear is actually something that can be dispelled quickly. 

If you are easily intimidated by others or large crowds, move out of your comfort zone and step into the scene.  In actuality, the other people are probably feeling the same way and together you can all relax and interconnect in a fun and rewarding way.   More often than not we create our fears and doubts due to our over active minds; when we are able to face the fear, we discover that it usually dissipates. 

Through a series of deep seeded fears, we create a distorted picture that seems to grow and grow until we become emotionally paralyzed.  We certainly do not want to get to that state of fear.  That is why it would better serve you to tackle your fears early on and learn how to speak to them, change the scenario and manifest a new scene where you are feeling empowered, strong and worthy.  I recently spoke to a young man who is very talented and skilled but most of his life he has felt challenged by dyslexia.  He has always been able to compensate for it in small ways but none-the-less, he felt frustrated and continually anxious.  He was introduced to a support community, the Toastmasters, which has helped him learn how to focus on his strengths and deal with his shortcomings.  He has been asked to be a public speaker in his profession and now feels more empowered and confident than ever before.  He faced his doubts and fears, pushed through his comfort zone with the support of a leadership community and his life is soaring to new heights.  Awesome is the word to express his personal and professional success.  This, too, can be your story when you are ready to take a leap of faith and move through the blocks that are stopping your forward movement. 

I do not think there is one human being who from time to time has not experienced a moment of vulnerability.  That is part of the human story but those feelings are not supposed to stop us, rather they are meant to open us up to reach farther and farther beyond our comfort zone and grow in ways that previously seemed impossible. 

Each one of us have the ability to develop new skills that will inspire, motivate and open us to receive new opportunities when we are willing to try.  Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.--Lao Tzu

Joan Marie Ambrose

Author, Creative Writer, Motivational Speaker