What is Fear Stealing from You?

When​ ​you​ ​leave​ ​your​ ​house​ ​for​ ​vacation,​ ​or​ ​even​ ​for​ ​the​ ​day,​ ​you lock​ ​your​ ​doors​ ​and​ ​windows.​ ​Maybe​ ​you​ ​set​ ​an​ ​alarm.​ ​You​ ​lock​ ​your​ ​car when​ ​you​ ​get​ ​out​ ​of​ ​it,​ ​secure​ ​your​ ​bike​ ​to​ ​a​ ​rack,​ ​you​ ​keep​ ​your​ ​valuables​ ​in a​ ​safe,​ ​your​ ​money​ ​in​ ​a​ ​bank.​ ​We​ ​all​ ​take​ ​steps​ ​and​ ​put​ ​practices​ ​in​ ​place​ ​to keep​ ​our​ ​physical​ ​belongings​ ​safe​ ​from​ ​those​ ​who​ ​might​ ​steal​ ​them.​ ​It​ ​seems so​ ​obvious,​ ​why​ ​even​ ​point​ ​it​ ​out?​ ​It’s​ ​a​ ​fact​ ​of​ ​life​ ​and​ ​it’s​ ​a​ ​fact​ ​of​ ​life because​ ​the​ ​alternative​ ​would​ ​be​ ​to​ ​just​ ​let​ ​someone​ ​take​ ​your​ ​stuff.

We​ ​would​ ​never​ ​consciously​ ​allow​ ​anyone​ ​to​ ​steal​ ​from​ ​us.​ ​Yet​ ​we allow​ ​our​ ​fears​ ​to​ ​steal​ ​from​ ​us​ ​​all​ ​the​ ​time​.

Fear​ ​robs​ ​us​ ​of​ ​our​ ​joy,​ ​our​ ​peace,​ ​and​ ​our​ ​dreams.​ ​It​ ​stops​ ​us​ ​in​ ​our tracks,​ ​it​ ​holds​ ​us​ ​back,​ ​it​ ​keeps​ ​us​ ​from​ ​speaking,​ ​it​ ​keeps​ ​us​ ​from​ ​acting,​ ​it blinds​ ​us.​ ​And​ ​it​ ​works​ ​in​ ​ways​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​us​ ​small.​ ​It​ ​coaxes​ ​us​ ​into​ ​allowing​ ​it to​ ​steal​ ​one​ ​of​ ​our​ ​most​ ​precious​ ​possessions:​ ​our​ ​potential.

Think​ ​of​ ​a​ ​time​ ​when​ ​you​ ​had​ ​an​ ​idea,​ ​you​ ​had​ ​a​ ​goal​ ​or​ ​a​ ​dream.​ ​You set​ ​out​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​it​ ​to​ ​fruition,​ ​but​ ​then​ ​something​ ​stopped​ ​you.​ ​Maybe​ ​it​ ​was something​ ​you​ ​strongly​ ​felt​ ​you​ ​needed​ ​to​ ​do,​ ​but​ ​when​ ​the​ ​time​ ​came,​ ​you just​ ​didn’t​ ​do​ ​it.

What​ ​were​ ​the​ ​circumstances?​ ​What​ ​were​ ​your​ ​thoughts?​ ​Take​ ​a moment​ ​and​ ​really​ ​think​ ​about​ ​it.​ ​I​ ​guarantee​ ​if​ ​you​ ​follow​ ​the​ ​trail​ ​deep enough​ ​you​ ​will​ ​find​ ​that​ ​what​ ​stopped​ ​you​ ​in​ ​those​ ​moments​ ​was​ ​fear. Nothing​ ​more.

We​ ​would​ ​like​ ​to​ ​make​ ​our​ ​inaction​ ​about​ ​other​ ​things,​ ​using​ ​excuses involving​ ​bad​ ​timing,​ ​other​ ​people,​ ​or​ ​less​ ​than​ ​optimal​ ​circumstances.​ ​The cause​ ​of​ ​inaction​ ​almost​ ​every​ ​time​ ​is​ ​fear.​ ​This​ ​may​ ​be​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​hear​, ​but​ ​I encourage​ ​you​ ​to​ ​see​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​relief.​ ​If​ ​your​ ​fear​ ​is​ ​the​ ​only​ ​thing​ ​holding​ ​you back​ ​and​ ​sabotaging​ ​your​ ​growth,​ ​that​ ​means​ ​that​ ​all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​power​ ​to​ ​change it​ ​is​ ​in​ ​your​ ​hands​ ​right​ ​now.

How​ ​can​ ​you​ ​take​ ​immediate​ ​action?​ ​It​ ​begins​ ​with​ ​shifting​ ​our consciousness.

Kabbalistically,​ ​we​ ​all​ ​have​ ​dormant​ ​forces​ ​within​ ​us,​ ​both​ ​positive and​ ​negative,​ ​and​ ​these​ ​forces​ ​are​ ​awakened​ ​depending​ ​on​ ​our consciousness.​ ​Fear,​ ​and​ ​all​ ​other​ ​negative​ ​emotions,​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​the negative​ ​side.​ ​Kabbalah​ ​teaches​ ​that​ ​all​ ​of​ ​us​ ​are​ ​composed​ ​of​ ​pure​ ​Light, and​ ​our​ ​greatest​ ​strengths​ ​and​ ​qualities​ ​arise​ ​from​ ​the​ ​positive​ ​side.​ ​In​ ​order for​ ​there​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​positive​ ​side,​ ​a​ ​negative​ ​side​ ​must​ ​also​ ​exist.​ ​Without​ ​this duality,​ ​we​ ​would​ ​have​ ​no​ ​way​ ​to​ ​experience​ ​growth​ ​or​ ​realize​ ​our​ ​potential. However,​ ​when​ ​we​ ​become​ ​too​ ​mired,​ ​often​ ​unconsciously,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​negative side,​ ​we​ ​hinder​ ​our​ ​full​ ​experience​ ​of​ ​life.

When​ ​we​ ​bring​ ​consciousness​ ​to​ ​our​ ​fears​ ​we​ ​are​ ​able​ ​to​ ​make​ ​new, proactive​ ​choices.​ ​When​ ​we​ ​think​ ​a​ ​positive​ ​thought​ ​or​ ​we​ ​focus​ ​on something​ ​positive,​ ​we​ ​awaken​ ​those​ ​dormant​ ​forces​ ​of​ ​positivity​ ​within​ ​us. Every​ ​single​ ​thought,​ ​word,​ ​and​ ​action​ ​is​ ​a​ ​manifestation​ ​of​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​two forces​ ​and​ ​positivity​ ​will​ ​outweigh​ ​the​ ​negativity​ ​if​ ​we​ ​feed​ ​it.​ ​Whichever side​ ​you​ ​feed,​ ​grows.

Let’s​ ​put​ ​this​ ​into​ ​practice​ ​using​ ​the​ ​example​ ​of​ ​someone​ ​who​ ​wants to​ ​write​ ​a​ ​memoir.​ ​The​ ​idea​ ​has​ ​been​ ​circling​ ​their​ ​brain​ ​for​ ​months,​ ​maybe even​ ​years,​ ​but​ ​every​ ​time​ ​they​ ​make​ ​plans​ ​to​ ​write​ ​some​ ​pages​ ​they​ ​find themselves​ ​distracted.​ ​Maybe​ ​they​ ​do​ ​get​ ​a​ ​few​ ​pages​ ​out​ ​but​ ​decide​ ​that those​ ​pages​ ​are​ ​terrible​ ​and​ ​start​ ​over.​ ​Maybe​ ​they​ ​have​ ​actually​ ​finished​ ​the 200-page​ ​manuscript​ ​and​ ​its​ ​been​ ​gathering​ ​dust.​ ​Their​ ​thoughts​ ​look​ ​like this:

I​ ​can’t​ ​do​ ​this​ ​successfully.
I’m​ ​not​ ​even​ ​a​ ​writer.
Who​ ​is​ ​going​ ​to​ ​care​ ​about​ ​my​ ​story?
I​ ​don’t​ ​know​ ​the​ ​first​ ​thing​ ​about​ ​getting​ ​published.

I’ll​ ​work​ ​on​ ​it​ ​tomorrow.

These​ ​thoughts​ ​are​ ​all​ ​fear-based​ ​and​ ​identifying​ ​them​ ​as​ ​fear​ ​and nothing​ ​more​ ​is​ ​the​ ​first,​ ​most​ ​powerful,​ ​step.​ ​From​ ​here,​ ​we​ ​can​ ​take​ ​the negative​ ​thoughts​ ​and,​ ​bringing​ ​our​ ​consciousness​ ​to​ ​them,​ ​can​ ​infuse​ ​them with​ ​positivity​ ​and​ ​then,​ ​positive​ ​action.

I​ ​can​ ​do​ ​this.
I’ll​ ​take​ ​a​ ​writing​ ​class​ ​to​ ​hone​ ​my​ ​skills.
Even​ ​if​ ​my​ ​story​ ​helps​ ​one​ ​person​ ​it​ ​will​ ​be​ ​worth​ ​it.
I​ ​could​ ​self-publish.
I​ ​only​ ​have​ ​thirty​ ​available​ ​minutes​ ​today,​ ​but​ ​I’ll​ ​use​ ​them​ ​to​ ​write.

Notice​ ​how​ ​the​ ​second​ ​set​ ​of​ ​thoughts​ ​feel​ ​different.​ ​They​ ​are​ ​all simple​ ​but​ ​the​ ​energy​ ​in​ ​them​ ​is​ ​positive​ ​and​ ​affirming.​ ​Whatever​ ​your​ ​goal is,​ ​whatever​ ​you​ ​have​ ​on​ ​your​ ​to-do​ ​list,​ ​whatever​ ​it​ ​is​ ​that​ ​you​ ​need​ ​to​ ​do but​ ​can’t​ ​find​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​do,​ ​try​ ​this​ ​exercise.

Edmund​ ​Burke,​ ​an​ ​Irish​ ​statesman​ ​and​ ​philosopher,​ ​stated​ ​it perfectly:​ ​“No​ ​passion​ ​so​ ​effectually​ ​robs​ ​the​ ​mind​ ​of​ ​all​ ​its​ ​powers​ ​of​ ​acting and​ ​reasoning​ ​as​ ​fear.”

Fear​ ​does​ ​not​ ​serve​ ​us.​ ​It​ ​doesn’t​ ​come​ ​from​ ​logic,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​isn’t​ ​based​ ​in reality.​ ​It​ ​masquerades​ ​as​ ​so​ ​many​ ​different​ ​things​ ​and​ ​lays​ ​waste​ ​to​ ​so many​ ​of​ ​our​ ​ambitions.​ ​It​ ​very​ ​literally​ ​robs​ ​you​ ​of​ ​your​ ​joy.​ ​Luckily,​ ​it’s only​ ​source​ ​of​ ​life​ ​is​ ​YOU.​ ​The​ ​moment​ ​you​ ​catch​ ​a​ ​thought​ ​and​ ​call​ ​it​ ​out as​ ​fear​ ​that​ ​fear​ ​has​ ​already​ ​begun​ ​to​ ​unravel.​ ​You​ ​have​ ​become​ ​your​ ​own security​ ​system,​ ​finding​ ​the​ ​fear​ ​and​ ​sounding​ ​the​ ​alarm.

Thought​ ​into​ ​Action

What​ ​fears​ ​are​ ​robbing​ ​you?​ ​Write​ ​down​ ​a​ ​few​ ​projects​ ​or​ ​goals​ ​you have​ ​yet​ ​to​ ​accomplish​ ​and​ ​then​ ​write​ ​down​ ​the​ ​thoughts​ ​that​ ​arise​ ​when you​ ​bring​ ​them​ ​into​ ​your​ ​mind.​ ​Are​ ​they​ ​fearful?​ ​If​ ​so,​ ​shine​ ​the​ ​light​ ​on them,​ ​turn​ ​them​ ​around,​ ​and​ ​see​ ​where​ ​you​ ​can​ ​start​ ​taking​ ​action!

Monica Berg serves as Chief Communications Officer for Kabbalah Centre International and is the author of Fear is Not An Option. To learn more about her, link here.