Tag Archives: fearless

Spirituality

Shaken, Not Stirred

One of James Bond’s signature moves was to order a martini that was “shaken, not stirred.” Now I will confess, I think James Bond is uber cool. I mean, what’s not to like about a man who dresses impeccably, is cultured, saves the planet from the bad guys, and he always gets the girl.

Like can make us feel shaken at times. It’s like we are walking a tightrope without a net. When we consider the risks of moving forward, it can paralyze us if we let fear dominate our thoughts.

At the same time, for some the thought of staying in the same place stirs something inside of them. The risk/reward ratio says they will experience some pain before they get the reward. Pain is real, but it’s temporary. The stirring inside propels them forward. Self doubt is cast aside and growth happens.

Wherever you are in life, I encourage you to face any fears you may have. Going through them might feel like you’re walking through hell. You will get singed, but you will come out the other side. You will be stronger, and you will be forever changed.

Go for it. Start now. There’s no time better than the present…

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Spirituality

The Fear View Mirror

Everyone experiences fear. It’s normal to feel uneasy when you are trying something new, or if you have a health scare. Yet you cannot allow fear to consume you and control your life.

Did you know that in the Bible we are told to “fear not” 365 times? That’s once for every day of the year. Coincidence? Nope!

Recently I was having a conversation with someone who left a stifling marriage. After ten years she had had enough of feeling small and unfulfilled. For the past decade her life was filled with private jets and great wealth. She found it in herself to walk away and become the woman she was born to be. She overcame her initial fears, but there are more waiting for her.

Facing your fears is the first step to overcoming them. The work is internal. Over time, you can reshape how your mind processes whatever you fear. It takes work, but anything worthwhile does.

Sometimes life feels like a battlefield. We have battle scars from the past. But we cannot let a little pain stop us from pursuing the life we want.

Face whatever you fear or whatever is holding you back. The fight is won or lost in your mind before you begin. Think about it…

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Spirituality

Beaten Down and Knocked Around

Yesterday I received a call from an acquaintance I hadn’t spoken to for a couple of years. She was distressed. Her situation is dire because she’s about to be evicted from her home. The purpose of her call was to ask me to loan her some money.

Due to a series of events that were partly her fault and some that couldn’t have been anticipated, she was in a bad spot. As I listened to her tell me what happened, there wasn’t any “poor little me” or victimhood tone in her voice, just fear.

Now I have a personal policy to not loan money. If I decided to send her some resources, I would just give it to her. I have found that this prevents me from having a false expectation of being repaid because I’m not expecting anything. I told her I would consider it.

This was when she started beating herself up. She was calling herself stupid etc. I immediately asked her to stop being so hard on herself with her comments. The world is going to knock us around and then pile on, I said. That’s just how it is. Hold yourself accountable, but stop the harshness of her self-criticism. It doesn’t help a thing.

My friend texted me last night that she had gotten things worked out, that she still had a ways to go, but she was grateful for my encouragement.

My encouragement to you is to keep going when things look the darkest. Daylight is coming…

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