It’s OK to be Afraid - By: cedricrice

Fear is a normal emotion which is given to us as a survival mechanism. Fear serves to prevent us from doing things which may be detrimental to our health and getting into situations which can also cause us harm. Fear is good if we learn how to control it. We should allow the voice of fear to cause us to move with caution but we should never totally give in to it. Fear will help us out of a difficult situation if we allow it to work for us. Have you ever been in a situation where your instincts told you that something just wasn't right? I certainly have, and my instincts have saved me time and time again. I have been in places where I would have been in danger if I had shown fear even though I was afraid. It is for this reason that you need to learn how to control your fear. You can use fear as a motivator.

When we are afraid our bodies release adrenalin which is a fight or flight hormone. Adrenalin has the effect on the body that liquid nitrogen has on an automobile. It supercharges our senses so that we will be able to deal with the situation that we are in. The man or woman who feels no fear doesn't have this added boost of energy to take advantage of. If you find yourself in a life threatening situation or a situation which you don't think you can win you may as well go all out in your response. I like to watch movies and one thing that I detest is the scenes where one person gets on his knees and allows another person to shoot him. If you are going to shoot me then you are going to have to shoot me while I'm doing all that I can to claw your eyes out. We must see our fear in juxtaposition to the big picture.

I have read many accounts of professional people who have dangerous jobs performing under pressure. In many accounts they didn't even feel fear until after they had gotten through the dangerous part of the situation. The reason is that their focus on doing their job overrode their fear. Once they had finished what they were doing fear came back because there was no other emotion there to override it.

Focusing on the danger or problem part of the situation will not help you at all. Recognize that fear which is attempting to rob you of your very life and get a handle. At the same time be grateful for it because it will make you move cautiously. The caution which is caused by fear will allow you to stay away from danger. Worrying about your problem will not make it go away or get any better. You will have to realize this and deal with it. Now is the time to purposely focus on your problem and allow your quest for a solution to conquer fear. Giving in to your fears will not get you out of a fix. Massive and immediate action is the thing that will save you if it is possible to be saved.

The military strategy for dealing with a close ambush is to charge right into it as fast and hard as you possibly can. Inaction in that situation will certainly cost you your life. The action that you take might cost your life also but there is a small chance that you will make it out OK. So when the situation seems absolutely hopeless, CHARGE!!

Use the adrenalin which fear causes to surge through your body to make you perform mentally, but remember that you can’t perform if you are more focused on your emotion rather than the solution to your problem. When you lose focus you lose the battle. You must remain focused to win. Develop the ability to block out everything other than what you need to block out. People who perform heroic acts are only heroic because they know how to focus.

I once read an account of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in the 40’s. According to one Japanese pilot the bravest American that he ever saw stood there in front of him as he strafed the ground around him. The American stood there with a pistol and continued to fire at the plane while it bore down on him. That soldier was brave but he was only brave because he was focused. He chose to concentrate on shooting down the Japanese plane rather than being afraid of what it would do to him. If there had ever been a time in history where an airplane was shot down by a pistol this would have been it. Who knows what you can accomplish if you can remain focused.

You may have to break the situation down into small manageable tasks and focus on them one at a time in order to defeat your fear but the key thing to remember is that you definitely won’t make it if you choose to obey the voice of your fears. The Good Life

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The Good Life

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