face my fears

I’m struggling with a deadline again, and yesterday I reveived a message from a publisher and was afraid to open it. It will take some more time to finish this job.
Then I summoned up my courage and opened the message, and it said that I have a couple more weeks, because they are going to have a vacation now anyway.
So simple.

Once there was a young warrior. Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with fear. She didn’t want to do that. It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it seemed unfriendly. But the teacher said she had to do it and gave her the instructions for the battle. The day arrived. The student warrior stood on one side, and fear stood on the other. The warrior was feeling very small, and fear was looking big and wrathful. They both had their weapons. The young warrior roused herself and went toward fear, prostrated three times, and asked, “May I have permission to go into battle with you?” Fear said, “Thank you for showing me so much respect that you ask permission.” Then the young warrior said, “How can I defeat you?” Fear replied, “My weapons are that I talk fast, and I get very close to your face. Then you get completely unnnerved, and you do whatever I say. If you don’t do what I tell you, I have no power. You can listen to me, and you can have respect for me. You can even be convinced by me. But if you don’t do what I say, I have no power.” In that way, the student warrior learned how to defeat fear.

Fear is part of us and is meant to be felt and let go of…

Fear knows our Achilles’ heel and goes for it every time. It kicks us when we are down. Our mind’s defenses are of no avail against this infiltrator that burrows us in and won’t let go no matter how we fight or plead. Fear compels us to make imprudent choices and then laughts at us for our rashness. It kills our two best friends: trust in ourselves and trust in the possibility of an alternative outcome to the one our catastrophizing mind is crafting.

Our best hopes are guts and grace, the only defenses fear cannot defeat.

David Richo in The Five Things We Cannot Change