Akshay Kumar loves performing stunt sequences. From leaping off buildings to hanging out from choppers, he has done it all. As host of the TV show in India called Fear Factor, it’s all part of the job. Of course, for those of us who don’t think leaping out of buildings without a wire is a good thing to do, we wonder what would any right person be thinking to do that, and wouldn’t there be a lot of fear associated with it?
Says Akshay, “A man that hosts a show called Fear Factor isn’t exactly allowed to be scared. I jump… I tumble, I fall and I dare to do the impossible. Am I scared? YES! But I live to feel fear. I’ve faced death too much in my life to be worried about anything or anyone anymore; that’s why I enjoy life so much. I fight fear, I don’t live with it.”
Now, for the rest of us ordinary mortals, we believe fear helps us to avoid suffering. We use our fears to keep us safe. But are we?
Most of our fears are imagination based. We get caught up in avoiding pain by saying no to people and events we THINK are going to harm us. Most of our fears are associated with basic human emotions. We are afraid of rejection, abandonment, humiliation, loss, failure and success. Most of the time, these emotional responses are predicated on past behavior, experiences and conditioning. We predict that if it happened in the past, it will happen in the future.
Susan Jeffers, who endorsed The Fearless Factor, and wrote Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway says “fear is essentially a lack of belief in your ability to handle whatever comes your way.”
In my opinion, fear is one of the most powerful motivating forces in the human experience. It is our clarion call; a signal that we need to do something different; that we need to change in order to live a completely fulfilled life. Honoring this feeling is the greatest gift we can give ourselves.
Unlike Akshay Kumar, we may not live to experience fear, but it is a normal part of our existence. However, like him, we must fight the fear, not just live with it. We all have the power.
Where in your life are you living fearlessly?
Find out by reading The 4 Easy Steps to Overcoming Fear at http://www.thefearlessfactor.com/4-steps
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Jaqueline,
What a gorgeous site and I am so glad you have a blog!! Your voice is truly so inspiring especially when we live in a society that operates out of fear. I loved this post as I am learning to embrace the fear and move throught it as opposed to having it paralyze me…amazing how big our lives get when we feel the fear and do it anyways. Each time you go through it it gets easier and easier…for me, if I am not feeling uncomfortable, I am not grwoing. As you said, it is one of the most motivational forces and look at it like a green light rather than a stop sign.
Thank you for your wisdom!!
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HI Britta: Happy to hear you enjoyed the post and the new website. This is truly an adventure I’m on, and although I do feel the fear, I make a conscious effort to go beyond it. I can’t let it stop me. Life is too short and I want to enjoy all of it.
I know in your life you do the same, and you are a wonderful example of someone who has faced enormous fears in dealing with cancer in both your life and the people closest to you, and you use experiences to help others overcome their own fears around these issues. Thanks for your wonderful support.
To learn more about Britta and her work go to http://blog.cincovidas.com/
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