I remember the first time I rode a bicycle without assistance. My dad had repaired four bicycles and needed to get them home. Only one could fit in the boot of his car so he asked us to ride the others. We often hung out with him in the mechanical workshop at the campus and played or wrote on the board while he worked. He always found a way to keep us engaged so we didn’t distract him or get hurt. Those were fun times.
I said, ‘Daddy, it’s too high for me’. I guess I was just afraid. You see, I had been using a smaller bicycle with training wheels up until then and was not mentally ready to make the transition; especially such as abrupt and unexpected one. He walked over to me, picked me up and set me on the bike, then he pushed it and said ‘if you don’t want to fall down, ride it till you get home’. I guess he was convinced I could handle it.
My fear of riding paled in the face of my fear of falling as I looked past my feet and observed the undulations on this grass covered portion of the workshop surroundings. Soon I would reach the tarred road and I couldn’t imagine falling there. I gathered my resolve and cycled harder but still with caution to catch up with my siblings.
I took an alternate route to help me reach them faster. Wrong move! All of a sudden, I heard dogs barking. I looked back and saw that they were coming after me. I really don’t understand why dogs love to chase wheels in motion; I guess it’s a play thing for them but I was completely terrified. Now my fear of getting bitten by those dogs knocked out my fear of falling and I cycled as though I wanted to win an Olympic gold medal. The harder they barked, the faster I rode until I reached home, screeched to a stop, flew off the bike and into safety. Through the crack of the kitchen door I watched them bark at and try to bite the wheels of the fallen bike till both lost all momentum. What a rush!
In life we experience different kinds and degrees of fear and it’s to our benefit when we learn to let go of those that cripple us and keep us from living life to the full. Sometimes, a substitution is needful to help us carry on. For instance, instead of allowing the fear of failure to thrive, replace it with the fear of not becoming all that you’re meant to be and let that spur you to achieve more and be more.
Yes! You can make fear your servant. Do you wonder how? I learnt this sometime back and it has really been useful in dealing with fears about the future.
You know what happens when fear is at work. You can almost hear voices in your head telling you all that could go wrong; they may not be audible but you get the message loud and clear. Then you begin to picture it, and your mind goes into overdrive… and you panic… or you get depressed… or you feel overwhelmed….
Well, here’s the good news: you can turn the tables in your favour! So when next those terrible suggestions come to mind, pick up a pen and your journal and begin to write them down. Commit them to God in prayer then settle down and analyse each point that was dictated to you by fear. Next, document the mitigation you already have in place to prevent those things from happening, then think about and also write down all the additional things you could do, including reaching out for help and guidance from the right sources.
Once your analysis is complete, develop an execution plan for the additional items that will give you the most significant benefit. You may not have the time or resources to do everything so focus on the most critical items.
By the way, you may have discovered already that fear is sometimes magnified because we are not aware of all the facts. Trying to figure it all out in your head can make the whole thing seem so complex and insurmountable. Just write it down. Demystify it. Make it plain, easy to see… easy to solve.
So simple, yet so true – you can use fear to your advantage.
I remember how relieved I was when this year rolled in. I felt like the past year was a cage that I got out of just before it closed in on me. The new year held such hope and promise with new dreams and ambitions brewing in my mind. It’s interesting how time goes by and we find some of those dreams slipping from our grasp into the realms of improbability.
Just in case you find yourself worrying about the future and fearful that those goals you set at the beginning of the year will not be achieved… Yes, if it looks like things are just not falling in place to enable you get to your desired destination, know this: This is not the time to throw in the towel or give up on your dreams. Rather, it’s time to press in again and push to have your desires fulfilled.
Yes. Your desires can be fulfilled. All things are possible to him who believes. While you wait on the forces of the universe to smile on you, you have the chance to do your part. Find out about that future – investigate, consider, ask questions, pray, plan, strategize, and network. Do all you can to ensure you are prepared for the opportunities that will come your way.
Think Possibilities. Write the plan and lay it all out in your journal. It may seem beyond your current means but go ahead and get ready. Start small if capital is hard to come by, or run with a segment of the plan in the interim and plug in the other aspects when the sponsors/investors show up. You could modularize your dreams and accomplish them in phases. Better to accomplish small milestones and have some successes to share than to sit around waiting for one big bang.
Fear will continue to thrive when we leave those questions unanswered. Begin today to address those unknowns by arming yourself with sound knowledge that will enable you make the right decisions and eliminate fear. One step at a time; one day at a time. You’ll get there. Just don’t give up. There’s hope.
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