FEAR IS NATURAL

I have come to learn that life is constantly handing us circumstances in which we must choose between love and fear. We all experience the fear of change, fear of not changing, fear of the future, fear of the past, we fear intimacy, and we fear being alone. On the other hand, we have love. Love is what we all want. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.

Don’t confuse love with arrogance or vanity. That is fear disguised as love. I’m referring to respect for oneself, and gratitude for our bodies and minds. When you’re frightened, remind yourself that you’re not loving or trusting yourself.

Emotional problems are among the most painful of all the problems we experience. We occasionally feel angry, sad, lonely, guilty, or frightened. When these feelings take over and become dominant, our lives become emotional battlegrounds that leave us exhausted and drained. What we do with our feelings is important.

The belief that we’re not good enough is often at the root of many of our problems. Good mental health begins with loving the self. When we love and approve of ourselves completely – what we consider good and bad – we begin to change.

Fear is natural. What we do with it is what makes the difference. If we were to release other people’s opinion of ourselves, we’d release a fear that does not serve us. In fact, many of the things that we’ve chosen to believe about ourselves have absolutely no basis in truth. Feelings of inadequacy start with a negative thought that we have about ourselves. What is important to note is that these thoughts have no power over us unless we act upon them. Only we give them meaning, and we do so by focusing on the negative messages over and over again in our minds.

Too often we choose to believe the worst about ourselves. We choose what kind of meaning we give the fear. What if instead, whatever pain we might have, we chose thoughts that nourished and supported us?

Remember that we are always perfect, always beautiful, and always changing. We are all doing the best we can with the understanding, knowledge, and awareness that we have. As we grow and change more and more, our best will only get better and better.

Today I urge you to choose love over fear. Begin to honor yourself, your experiences, and your value. While we all experience fear, only we choose how much power it has over our identity and decisions. Choose love.