On the last live broadcast of Now Weŕe Talking, Lolita E. Walker and I talked to the people about the age-old elephant in the room – fear. As we all know, fear is one of those things that we often can never completely wrap our minds or our will around. It is at times elusive, frightening, deceptive, and more times than not, a driving force behind the way we think, speak and act.
While the subject of fear – what it is, how it manifests itself in our lives, and what to do about it- is way too big to completely digest in one sitting, the Now Weŕe Talking crew and our wonderful audience on the live stream did a terrific job peeling back several layers of the onion! For one, we experience fear related to our jobs, careers, and vocations. Am I good enough? Am I smart enough? Iḿ content here…Iḿ not gonna leave a sure thing for a possibility…What if I fail? All of these are fear-inspired thoughts that infiltrate our minds and stop us from embracing change, having courage, and acting to advance, or otherwise reach our true potential.
Another place in our lives where we often see fear rear its ugly head is in the way we raise our children. If you have a fearful mindset, you will undoubtedly impart that fear into your children. A fear-based perspective can indeed be a generational curse inherited from the people or person who raises us. Our children feed off of our energy, and observe everything we do and say. Whether its about school, their place in society, or dating, our fear often shows up as a steadfast need to control as much as possible, to take as little risk as possible, or to be as protective as possible. With that said, there is much scientific research to support the contention that raising our children from a fear-based perspective has serious consequences for the emotional development, drive and will of our children.
The third place where fear grabs a blanket and makes itself comfortable, is in our personal relationships. In this context, fear often reveals itself as controlling, possessive, unforgiving, demanding, paranoid, skeptical, doubtful thoughts and behaviors. These behaviors, often coupled with a constant craving for stability and predictability, are simply manifestations of a fear-based mentality. Ultimately, it is up to us as individuals to be introspective enough to reflect, meditate, and pray about whether or not we exhibit any of these feelings and behaviors, and if so, what internal – not external – factors are at its root. Once that work is done – we must then have the maturity, courage and wisdom to live lives governed by optimism, confidence and freedom, not that Tyrannosaurus Rex we call FEAR.
Catch our next show on Thursday, March 21, 2019, where weĺl be delving physical and mental fitness with a special guest…
awesome topic! glad we were able to chat it.