“Live with F.E.A.R”
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We actually develop it by facing difficult times and Challenging adversity”
“F.E.A.R”
I read a long time ago that the letters spelling FEAR were an acronym for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” But in my travels, I have since learned that it’s not entirely correct. So, I came up with my own acronym and I am coining it! In my world, F.E.A.R stands for “Face Every Adversity Realistically.” I will be the first to tell people: yes, there are things out there to fear. Personally, I fear governments! Evil nasty creatures that they are, but that’s me!
True, there are a whole lot of other things you should be afraid of, after all, it is a primal instinct that keeps us alive. Some say, don’t fear death, others would say, it’s the fear of death that keeps us alive. There are, however, many things people fear that they shouldn’t; the unknown is one. Education blunts that fear, if we choose to educate ourselves. HSPs are very intuitive, and more than that, they tend to research facts far more than the “normal people.” By the way, normal to me is a setting on a clothes dryer only! People are unique.
If something scares you, research it! Understand it! It’s the “I Don’t Knows” of the world that scare me. People blindly walking around pushing fear into others without truly understanding what exactly they are afraid of is something to be avoided. For example, I was getting my bike ready for this next adventure, riding solo through Central and South America, when a woman came up to me and started chatting. She and her husband also ride motorbikes and she asked me if I was going for a ride. “I am” I replied, “through Central and South America,” her immediate response was, “Are you taking a gun?”
I had to hold back the laughter, and politely said, “No Madam, I’m taking respect.” She thought I was nuts and walked away. Can you imagine getting caught with a gun crossing a border of any country, let alone Nicaragua? Fear drives people to let go of rational thinking and resort to the only thing left: reaction. I was taught years ago by a man I now credit for much of my survival in very challenging times, Mr. Toni Zimos (R.I.P. Toni, passing due to old age). Toni taught me to respond, never react. In Toni’s words, reaction will get you killed. (See Lesson 3 – The 3-R’s)
So, learn to Face Every Adversity Realistically, and respond accordingly.
