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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Liberating yourself from your own fears







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I've heard many people attribute this quote to Nelson Mandela. While it does sound Mandela-esque, the quote comes from Marianne Williamson, one of the most well-know self-help authors and speakers, from the book A Return to Love. (Link to Marianne Williamson's official website.)
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  -Marianne Williamson
 I happen to like this quote. But how do we get to the point where we're liberated from our own fear?

Well, I don't know, for certain.

But I do know that doing things that you're afraid of is instrumental to being liberated from our own fear. It can be as relatively minor as getting up to sing at a karaoke bar or open-mic music night, reciting a poem you wrote at some random open-mic poetry reading, bungee-jumping or doing aerial acrobatics (one of my personal favorites - link for more, hollywoodaerialarts.com), trying a new sport, taking a dance class, and doing on-line or speed dating. Anything that makes you feel afraid, but you're sort of interested in doing, you should do in the name of liberating yourself from your own fear. You see, from what I understand about the human psyche, especially the subconscious, is that your being doesn't know the difference between "big" and "little" fears. In other words, if you're a little afraid of singing in public, but a lot afraid of heights, you can prepare yourself, even desensitize yourself by singing in public as a preparation for aerial acrobatics, bungee jumping, or cliff diving. As you start to liberate yourself from your fear in small ways, it'll help mobilize you to face the more daunting fears.

Marianne Williamson has it right, thank the heavens. So many self-help types have good theories, but their practical application falls short. Her book is worth checking out, but more than sitting around and reading (truly one of my favorite past-times), if you really want to liberate yourself from your fear, do something you're afraid of. Start with the "small" stuff. Trust me, being liberated from your own fear will inspire others to be liberated from their own.

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