The 'Fear Not' sticker is for an upcoming women's conference at my church, however in my current season, it represents a leap of faith I recently took as an act of obedience and investment in me.
While the helmet sticker is from my husband's recent obstacle race (I participated in the shorter version the same weekend), I finished that same "Spartan Beast" race a couple of years ago. As a result, the sticker represents physical achievement and symbolizes a time where I pushed myself beyond anything I thought I could do, in the most challenging, physically demanding thing I have ever done, and my proudest accomplishment to date.
And last but not least, the colorful pens represent the tools I use to record statements, quotes and scripture that resonate with me and the vehicles, per se, that I use to communicate and share my thoughts.
These items and the elements or concepts they represent are not unique only to me. We all have an inner strength we need to tap into and unleash if we are going to see our secret, or not so secret, heart's desire, dreams and callings come to fruition. As the wise-beyond-his-years Christopher Robin told Pooh, "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." Unfortunately, we do not always believe those wise words. As Candace Payne, the ''Chewbacca Mom," advises in her new book Laugh It Up; Embrace Freedom and Experience Defiant Joy, we need to "shut our 'shoulds' up" and instead tap into and listen to our inner resilience that says "YES, you can!"
A while ago I saw, read or heard someone define fear as "false evidence appearing real." Why is it easier to believe the falsehood and lies rather than the truths and reality? When did taking a leap of faith become so daunting, scary and crippling rather than exhilarating, life-giving and exciting? Just think of a child learning to ski; they have no fear and zoom down the hill while most of the beginner adults are clumsy, fearful and their own biggest obstacles.
Writing that, Stephen Covey's 90/10 Principle comes to mind. His principle states that 10% of life is made up of what happens to us (out of our control), and 90% of life is decided by how we react to those events (within our control). Wow! That principle should be our superpower against the evils of fear and doubt!
Humor me by doing a little exercise...let's say you're faced with a major decision - it can be a life-altering one or it can just be a 'bump in the road, eeny meeny miny moe, fork in the road' decision. Make a pros & cons, worst case scenario list. Now hold that list up to the 90/10 Principle. Ask yourself, if the worst possible option actually happened, would the sting, fallout or repercussions of our decision still matter ten, five or even three years down the road? I am not a betting person, however if I was, I would bet and say in most cases probably not.
So, shed some light on those fears, take a closer look and realize that those Goliath mountains holding you back are usually just anthills full of learning opportunities and hidden blessings in disguise...and fear not!
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