We all experience fear at some point in our life. For some it is on a regular basis and others it may only be in specific areas of their lives. It can stop us in our tracks if not dealt with. I have seen many people with obstacles that could have been victories if they did not have fear controlling them.

Fear is just simply false evidence appearing real. We tell ourselves the wrong story to the point that we believe it. This comes from insecurities and past experiences as well as a lack of knowledge. I have found with myself that gaining knowledge in the area that we are fearful of can help dramatically.

When the fear comes from past experiences it is good to remember that the past does not equal the future. For example, I have a friend who is very afraid of sparklers (hand held fireworks) because when she was a child the sparks landed on her arm and it both startled her and hurt a bit. She even instilled this fear to her children. I asked her more about the incident and found that it startled her more than it hurt. She even admitted the hurt was probably more because she actually saw it hit her arm and shared she was typically a big baby as a child anyway. At the next Fourth of July she decided to work past her fear and she as well as her children had a blast with the sparklers. I am sure we can think of things both larger and smaller than this in our lives that we fear. For example spiders, public speaking, tests, losing a job or home, the list is endless.

We make things seem bigger than they are which is human nature. I know some are thinking this is easy for me to say but hard for them to do because that was me. Once I learned to dive in anyway my fear eventually went away and yours can too. Yes it takes work but it is well worth it in the long run. You can actually get excited over obstacles (sounds crazy) like it is a game to win. When you treat it as a game you get creative, excited and oddly enough forget your fear. Mindset is a powerful thing and when mastered can give more peace and happiness even in the challenges.