FEAR
Passive, panic, uneasy.. just a few adjectives that represent fear in my eyes. I don’t believe fear is a totally “bad” thing; however as with anything, too much of something becomes damaging. I also believe as children we are taught to fear a vast array of ideas, things, people, etc. Again, that’s not to say that we shouldn’t have been taught to fear SOME of these things.. ‘stranger danger’ is a real thing and children should most definitely be alarmed or fearful, in regards to this topic. However, the fear I am speaking of is when you tell your parents you want to major in Art, that you don’t want to attend college at all, or you want to move across the country to follow your heart. MOST of the times these statements are met with disregard, disagreement, or dissatisfaction.
The nature and nurture concept is key in everyone’s upbringing (i.e. nature being the concept of taught ideals through life experiences and nurture being the concept of lessons instilled in you by parents, guardians, etc).. and the nurturing your parents give you seems to be triggered in these situations. Parents inflict fear into their children because (yes they have experienced certain things in their own lives) majority of the time they are unable to see beyond their own circumstances. I believe all/most parents want the best for their children, but in most cases the definition of “the best” can be totally different between parents and children, or individuals in general.
When you are taught certain objectives, on repeat, at a young age.. those things will most likely stick with you in the long run. If you are taught to “play it safe” you will most likely live a mundane, dull life. And that is not to say that this is an inferior way of life… however deep down you may have bigger dreams and aspirations for yourself, but out of fear you may never tap into them.
“Let yo fears go and catch yo blessings.” -SiR
After years of your dull living standards, life has passed by and you feel like you’ve accomplished little to nothing but you know you want more..You’ve reached the point of realization.. this is when you fear the most. Maybe you’ll start doing some research about the thing(s) you’re passionate about or interested in.. you are now totally aware of what it takes to reach these goals... now the anxiety sets in. Full force. “I could never get enough money to start..” “Nobody would ever support me.” “I’ll just keep doing my research and maybe it’ll just fall in my lap.” NO SIS/BRUH, go out there and get yo blessings!
I believe being surrounded by the right people is very important in general, but very important when you have been met with this roadblock in life. A “yes man” is never a good friend, in my opinion. You can share all your dreams with them and they’ll tell you to go for it.. you can tell them you want to go back to a toxic relationship for any illogical reason and they’ll agree. They most likely will never attempt to give insight, weather good or bad. That being said, having people around you with positive insight, drive, ambition.. people who possess the things you want and are striving for. Those are the people you NEED around you. Someone to challenge you. Someone who will hold you accountable for your actions and not just your words.
Now we’re at the point of wanting more, attempting to do the ground work and knocking out the bad apples of your circle.. now what!? Still sitting with the same amount of fear, huh? But the difference now is you are ‘allowed’ to express all of your crazy ideals with sound minded individuals surrounding you.. positive energy radiates between you all... motivation and endurance for the marathon is building up. You may have even gained some confidence for yourself in the process- this is key! No matter what damage or fear you may have been dragging around from years prior... you MUST allow yourself to see all the greatness you possess. No one can stop you, but YOU.
Now you’re prepared for the marathon! And this isn’t to say all of your fear has disappeared; however you are more suited to navigate those feelings now. We so easily put trust in random people everyday... the chef cooking our food... the child care provider watching over our children... the pilot taking us to our next destination. With little to no fear or hesitation we don’t question these circumstances, but we become very fearful when it’s our time to take a leap and our lives are in our own hands.
Shake off that fear, talk with God, realign your thoughts, WRITE down your goals/objectives and go after it!
What do you think of my outlook on fear!? I would loveee to hear from you guys… feel free to send me messages via email or social media with your own thoughts and feelings on the topic. Peace & love.💛