Don't give in to your fears. If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart. --Paulo Coelho (a best-selling Brazilian author) Thanks to Charity Focus for the Quote of the Day.
"Fear is a real, human emotion. While it's okay to feel afraid, it's not okay to give in to fear, making it your master. It's not okay to give it permission to stand between you and your dreams.
- At fourteen, I was a drug-addicted alcoholic; now I'm clean and sober for twenty-three years.
- At eighteen, I was a high-school dropout; now I'm a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.
- At twenty-one, I was a call girl, paying lawyers lots of money to keep me out of jail; now I am a lawyer, a successful businesswoman, and a loving wife.
- At twenty-six, I was hit by a car and told I'd never walk again; in my forties I ran two marathons within three months of each other.
- At twenty-eight, all I could think about was what's in it for me; now, at fifty, I'm an active participant in my community.
Fear is a clever foe. Of all the obstacles that stand in our way, fear is the most powerful, because it can so easily be denied. It comes disguised in many ways, as anger, resentment, jealousy, envy, hurt feelings, and self-pity, to name a few. But whatever the label, fear is still fear, and it has the power to capture your soul, disintegrate your spirit, and eat away at your self-esteem until you are incapable of separating the real from the unreal. You're left blaming someone else for your choices. You give up." -- Francine Ward, author of Esteemable Acts
I met a remarkable woman about two weeks ago. Her name is Francine Ward. The woman I quote above. She is one powerful authentic woman that just...well, radiates. Having just read her words in a book just doesn't convey the strength of her presence. She believes that strong people must share with others that they too have once been afraid, unsure or in doubt of themselves. I'd like to add she submitted her book proposal to sixteen agents. No bites. Finally she got an agent and as a first-time author received a six-figure advance from a major publisher, Random House.
"A Native American Elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: 'Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.' When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, 'The one I feed the most." -- Original Source Unknown
Fear is a conditioned, reactionary response. Contrary to what you may believe, you don't "think fear thoughts through" with the most advanced part of your brain. There was a time I didn't know what "listen to your intuition" meant. Not even an inkling. Sure I had an internal dialogue going on. (I'm using language as the closest metaphor.) But which voice was the master? I started to notice that any voice in my head that reeked of fear (or its disguises) was not my authentic voice. Fear could go on talking, but I didn't need do its bidding. The voice coming from the part of my mind (or heart, as Coelho eloquently puts it) that is truly wise has another hue, texture, and feel altogether and to it, fear is a completely foreign tongue. It speaks the language of dreams, desires, and infinite potential.
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