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Eli N, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

What is the value that fear has to offer us? How can fear be used as a strength, rather than a hindrance? 

Most of the time, when we think about fear, we think about a situation that interferes with our plans, a scenario we wish to avoid at all cost. The question is, how can we look towards fear, rather than running away from it, and utilize it to empower us and support our growth? 

One way to begin this process is to start with self-awareness. Take a moment to pause everything you are doing, and take a breath. Inhale deeply and allow the air to sink into the body. Become aware of your present environment, the room you are in, the sensations around you and how you are feeling. 

Afterwards, notice what it is specifically that you are afraid of — what current fear is in your life? Oftentimes human beings share very common fears, be they social, financial, professional, emotional or physical concerns.

Once you recognize what it is, see how this fear can offer you a gift — for example, is this fear trying to protect your well-being? Is it attempting to guard a vulnerable part of you? Maybe it is not fully clear to you yet, but a part of your subconscious mind is genuinely trying to stop you from taking a step in the wrong direction. 

For example, maybe you are excited to make a large purchase of a product you really like, but then a fear enters your mind and you question whether you should follow through. That fear might be offering you a gift and helping you avoid a purchase that you will regret in the future. 

Recognizing when a fear is there to protect you can offer you value in situations where you might be going too hastily and not fully recognizing all the potential dangers in front of you.

But what if this fear doesn’t seem to rise from a protective place? What if it comes from some social pressure or limiting belief that is not supporting you? Well, in this case, a useful tool is to reflect on the first time that this limiting belief was introduced to you. Maybe it was as early as kindergarten, from a family member or from a school teacher . . . you can reflect on the person who shared this limiting belief with you, and practice compassion towards this person. Maybe this person passed their own fears onto you, maybe they had a stressful day and didn’t notice how they were speaking, or maybe they didn’t consider how this belief would affect you in the long term.

Either way, now that you have awareness, you can have more power and autonomy over your thoughts, while discerning which ideas are not serving you any longer. This is a very powerful exercise, because it gives you the strength to become free of unnecessary fears while also becoming a more responsible person. This exercise can also offer you the gift of empathy and make you more mindful of the beliefs and ideas you pass on to others. The more aware you become, the better you can remember not to pass on further limiting beliefs that were passed to you by others.

Lastly, fear can be used as a tool to make you more excellent. Sometimes a fear appears in our lives, not necessarily to stop us or to limit us, but rather just to remind us to improve what we are already working on or developing. Sometimes the extra concern in our mind over whether our actions will be received by others is a good thing, because it causes us to improve our craft and make it more beautiful, professional or helpful.

For example, maybe you are a good painter who wants to display a painting in an art gallery. But you have a fear that people will not like it or that it’s not quite ready yet. Well, maybe your fear has a point. Maybe spending a few extra hours on the final details of the painting will turn it from ok into a masterpiece.

If you utilize this type of fear properly, you will become a very talented, skilled and respected person. Some of the most successful people in the world listen to their fears properly, and use them in order to make them the best people they can be, and you can do the same, by becoming aware, attentive and open to listening to your fears.

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