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The Only Two Ways To Perceive Fear


The unpleasant emotion one feels when they feel that something or someone is a threat, likely to cause pain in some way, or just flat-out dangerous. Many if not all people will experience fear many times in their lives. I dare say that it’s a part of the full human experience. Whether it’s trembling at the idea that you are in trouble, terrified to walk down a scary shortcut at night, or scared to ask out that cute girl in the library, fear will most likely find its way to haunt you no matter how brave or confident you think you are. It’s about how you approach fear, which is the most important part.

There are two abbreviations of the word fear that have two completely different meanings, and depending on the person, only one applies to you. Fear could mean “forget everything and run” or “face everything and rise”. Each meaning has a significant impact on one's life, and it depends on the individual whether or not they abide by one or the other.


Forget Everything And Run

Most people try their best to avoid the things they are scared of. It makes sense. Why else would you want to be around something that doesn’t make you feel safe? In situations where you encounter a dangerous person alone in the woods or you’re being chased by a vicious dog, then it is probably for the best that you do run, but if you’re running from something personal then that may be another story.

I once used to allow fear to hinder me from applying for certain jobs I really wanted, or taking chances that I knew could help me in the long run. It was just easier to run away from those fears and climb right back into my safe space.

People who lack confidence usually are scared to take initiative and are completely fine with running away from those types of situations that they could possibly benefit from. I covered it well in my article about why change could make you crazy when I stated that some people are afraid of failure and don’t like to leave their comfort zone. Fear is way too uncomfortable of a feeling to just embrace like that.


Face Everything And Rise

By no means am I suggesting that you should confront a dangerous person with a knife. (unless you are properly trained to do so then go ahead) What I mean by facing your fears is taking the initiative to ask the person you’re interested in out, or standing up for yourself against an abusive manager. Confronting your fears will greatly benefit your life most of the time, especially if the fear is a newer one caused by a specific traumatic experience.

In late 2019, I got into a terrible car accident because I was falling asleep behind the wheel. The accident shook me up for months. It took me almost a year to start driving again, and I was terrified of driving on the highways with heavy traffic for a while. The thought of turning onto a highway gave me great anxiety. Despite my fear, I pushed myself to drive on the same highway and intersection where I crashed multiple times a day until I got comfortable driving again.

Because I faced my fear of driving, I can now transport myself everywhere I need to go which overall benefits my life in many ways. If I avoided this fear, I would have been stuck for a while. So go ahead and apply for that job, or stand up and present that presentation to the whole class. I assure you that you will feel better afterward. Confront your fears and you will become truly brave.

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