The type of fear we are talking about here is psychological fear -- the self-limiting and soul crushing type of fear that produces stress, anger, resentment, not to mention a host of other dark negative states.
The first kind of fear, rooted in the animal-instinctual part of the
brain, is concerned with physical preservation. It arises automatically
to get us out of danger -- fast.
But problems begin to arise when that old brain initiates a fear response to anything
we see as a threat -- and these days, threats usually aren't physical,
they are psychological. Instead of warning us against saber-toothed
tigers, this part of the brain warns us against imaginary "what if"
scenarios like "what if she doesn't like me," or "what if I don't get
to my appointment on time."
Over time, without our knowledge,
our brains have been conditioned to see minor everyday irritations as
if they were giant crocodiles ready to strike. This is why fear and
stress are at epidemic levels these days, even though our standard of
living is higher than it's ever been before.
Human beings are not meant to react to civilized life from the
reptilian brain. We are meant to live from a higher level of
consciousness than a rabbit or a lizard!
Understanding how fear works and how to counter its destructive
influence is immensely important if we want to enjoy a happier,
healthier, more successful life. And these truths are clearly laid out
in Guy Finley's revealing new audio program, "Find the Treasure of a
Fearless Life."
There's
too much in this program to explain everything here, but to get
started, here are five basic principles taken from the talk that begin
to put fear in its proper place. Right now they may seem a little
simplistic and maybe even far-fetched, but after hearing Guy's amazing
talk, you will begin to know the truth of them from your own heart:
- Calling on anxious thoughts to check the rising tide of some fearful feeling is like trying to stop a landslide by throwing rocks at it!
- To know, firsthand, that nothing good can ever come of a cowardly act is to find the courage to say and do what needs to be done in the moment, in spite of one's fear about the outcome.
- Whoever serves what he or she fears has failed to see that all they win for their service is to become more fearful.
- Any fear of some dark tomorrow disappears as quickly as we are willing to remove our sense of self from the dark thought that imagines it.
- Count the number of ways in which we have acted to protect a fear -- as in fawning before others for fear of falling out of their good graces -- and we also know the exact number of times we have been the fool of fear.
- Excerpt from Guy Finley
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