Very thoughtful post. You become fearless when you lose that which you value the most.

Think of the worst that can possibly happen. Get used to the idea and accept it. From there on, things can only get better… and you can acquire courage even as you retain the object you feared losing, for you fear that no more. You know loss is a possibility and you are moving ahead with that in mind.

Says Dale Carnegie, “You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.”

Cheers,
Cheryl Paris Blog

Great post! Nicely thought out and very useful!

I define fear as our response to stimuli that the primitive part of our brain labels as potentially dangerous. That same part of our mind tends to be easily manipulated by our conscious mind’s ability to dream up all kinds of dangers, and responds with worry, which is a kind of fear as well.

You have defined fear as the data from your body and/or mind that says something may be up.

Being consciously aware of that data and choosing how to respond to it in a positive way is a very powerful skill and requires a lot of conscious awareness.

The problem is that our primitive mind triggers a fight-or-flight response when it perceives fear. This response triggers adrenaline release in our body, and it works so fast, and at such a basic, instinctual level, that it is the first warning that our conscious mind usually receives that something is up.

Courage is key when responding to this instinctive reaction.

Courage allows us time to consciously decide how imminent the danger is. If we have some time to react, then we have innumerable choices as to how to respond.

I think that your excellent analysis focused mostly on this point in the process. It requires that the person be aware of their actions in times of fear.

Unfortunately, most people don’t really think about how they respond to fear, and so their reactions and habitual actions following a fear episode often have a huge impact on how much they are able to direct their lives. This reaction can ruin otherwise well-run lives, and destroy success on the verge of victory.

To me, the key is to train yourself to be aware of fear as it arises. Use the fight-or-flight response as a signal, but then train yourself to habitually engage courage to prevent reacting to the fear further (if there was extremely imminent danger, you will have already reacted prior to being conscious of the situation).

Reaction to fear is a habit. The key is to understand the danger inherent in these reactions, and then to consciously train your habits to react in the way you prefer to, not the way your instinctive mind simply takes you.

Again, fantastic post!

All the best,

Hugh

The timing of your articles is uncanny.

I find when I become aware of the fear in me, I look for something to have an open heart about what I am doing. Love and hope override fear.

Great blog,

Joseph
http://www.explorelifeblog.com