I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I’ve let fear hold me back from doing something that would bring me joy, excitement, and happiness.
For so many of us, fear is one of the biggest enemies of happiness. The worst part is, we can control it! It’s all part of how we look at things and handle situations. It’s learning to put those nasty little voices in our head whispering the world is about to end aside and opening ourselves up to the joy of living without fear.
During my years in direct sales I often heard that fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s so true!
Surveys have shown over and over again that about 98% of the things we fear never materialize. So why do we waste so much of our precious time wrapped up in our fears? We should be wrapped up in our joys, instead.
I love, love this visual of the laughing girl next to the ginormous dog, with a look of such happiness on her little face. She has him on a leash and is having a great time.
Maybe she was afraid of the dog before she had the leash in her hand, but the leash gives her a sense of ownership, of direction, of being in charge. That’s what we need to do with our fear. Put it on a leash, take control of it, be in charge of it, and let it know who is the boss. When we do that, we can unleash our joys and know real happiness in our lives.
Going forward, when fear tries to get the best of you, picture yourself as the little girl holding the leash – living with joy because you are the one in control of your fears.
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Each Monday I share my thoughts on happiness in my own personal Happiness Project for 2014. Feel free to post your thoughts or comments on happiness.
