Some of our deep-rooted fears always stop us from making the decisions we need to in life.
Fear stops us from quitting doing something we don’t love in the first place, because; well what if we may never find the thing we are looking for. Fear even keeps us away from loving someone endlessly and madly, because deep within we know we may have to part ways at some point. Generally, people continue to be afraid of societal rejections, rejection from parents, peers, siblings, or even our kids. We fear failure to the point where we learn to lead a life that we think is “safe” even if it means we are unhappy in general.
To understand why this happens, go back a few million years to the earliest humans wandering in the wild, and living in small groups. We had to wander in groups for survival and keep the tallest male in the group as the leader so he could look farther out for danger. These groups rejected people who were rebels because they caused risk for the whole group. It’s hardwired into our DNA and we continue to believe that we always have to fit in.
There’s nothing much you can do about it than wonder whether they are still relevant now in this day and age. Once you acknowledge how a lot of these fears and prejudices we have are pretty archaic, it’s time to label them for what they truly are - “unproductive fears”.
Every fear stems from a possibility. Possibilities are just imaginations. Imagination is a blessing and a curse. If only we learn to use imaginations as ways to dream, instead of ways to create fear, our life will be bliss. Easier said than done, this is achieved by constantly embracing a growth mindset in everything that we do every day. Always embrace that a million things could go wrong, but you only are one small part of the reason why. Even when you do everything the way it should be done, there is no guarantee for success or happiness in life.
Eastern philosophy emphasizes actions rather than goals and asks you to focus on the now. In Western philosophy, let’s take the declaration of independence, where we mention life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is always the journey that we cherish and not the destination. So when you fear failure next time or experience it, think of it as just a small part of that journey - a journey that has no destination indeed. Only then do these fears become productive and help you instead of hurting.
Until next time!