Overcoming Fear and Developing the Habit of Courage

Fear is and has always been, the greatest enemy of mankind. When Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” He was saying that the emotion of fear, rather than the reality of what we fear, is what causes us anxiety, stress, and unhappiness.

When you develop the habit of courage and unshakeable self- confidence, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for you.

Fortunately, the habit of courage can be learnt just as any other habit is learnt, through repetition.

We need to constantly face and overcome our fears to build up the kind of courage that will enable us to deal with the inevitable ups and downs of life unafraid. The starting point in overcoming fear and developing courage is to look at the factors that predispose us toward being afraid.

The More You Know, the
Less You Fear

Fear is also caused by ignorance. When we have limited information, our doubts
dominate us. We become tense an insecure about the outcome of our actions. Ignorance causes us to fear the change, to fear the unknown, leading us to avoid trying anything new or different. But the reverse is also true.
The very act of gathering more and better information about a particular subject increases our courage and confidence in that area.

Action Exercises

Begin your list of fears by writing down everything, major and minor, that causes fear, stress, or anxiety. Think about the parts of your work or personal life where your fears might be holding you back or forcing you to stay in a job or relationship in which you are not happy. Once you have written down your fears, arrange them in order of importance, and then pick them apart one by one.

• Fear, anxiety and stress occur when floods of negative thoughts occur in your mind and you are not capable of listening to your inner voice. To reduce this, practise meditation by realizing your true eternal identity, i.e., a soul. Remember the words, “I am Originally A Peaceful Soul