Hopes and fears

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears” – Nelson Mandela

Have you ever considered how much fear influences the decisions you make in your life?

Fear gives us information that is intended to keep us safe. And it does a lot of the time, for example not putting our hand into the lions enclosure for fear you will get bitten, or not walking down a dark secluded road at night for fear you might get attacked. So fear can help keep us safe from danger.

However often what we perceive as a fearful event has not got much to do with our personal safety. For example:

–          Not asking a someone on a date for fear they will say no

–          Not speaking up in college/work for fear you will embarrass yourself

–          Not going out in a new group of people for fear they won’t like you

–          Not putting your opinion out for fear you will get it wrong

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

These fear choices can keep you in your safe comfort zone but will also prevent you from opening up to potential new exciting experiences. Each choice that you make has an element of uncertainty. If you decide to look for a new job it might be the job of your dreams or it might fall short of your expectations. If you ask that girl out she might say yes and lead you to finding your future wife, or she might tell you she has no interest.

And what if your choice doesn’t work out the way you imagined? Do you use it to beat yourself up or do you let it go, put it down to life experience and move on?

So do you not take the risk and stay safe, or do you open yourself to new possibilities? Do your choices reflect your hopes or your fears?

Photo by Denise Krebs