Everybody has fears.

Everybody.

And yet, too many people try to hide theirs. Too many people try to go through life keeping their fears a secret; trying to convince the world that they are fearless, when, in fact, that is impossible.

Believe it or not, fear is a GOOD thing.

We were born with fears to keep us safe. In fact, newborns are hardwired with exactly two fears: a fear of falling, and a fear of loud noises. And that serves them, because those fears help keep them safe from danger. Those fears may be frustrating to their parents, who keep them safe, but when these precious little bundles are born, they are literally in survival mode for the first part of their life. Then as they learn and grow, they typically overcome those fears.

They often learn to love jumping, and skipping, and dancing, and singing, and laughing loudly. They begin to do the very things they were initially afraid of. And in doing so, an entirely new world of possibilities opens up right before their eyes.

As we get older, we have experiences that instill new fears within ourselves.

And we become more and more reluctant to overcome those fears. Our brains tell us that the easiest thing to do is to stay within that small bubble of survival mode. So that’s what many people do…they hold on to the security blanket of their fear, and think that’s just what their life is destined to be.

Moving beyond fear is NOT easy. This I know. I’m not here to preach to you that all you have to do is decide to let go of your fear, and *boom* life is magical and sparkly. That’s just not how it works. I mean, not quite.

It does start with a decision.

In order to get out of a rut and grow through your fears, you first have to have a desire to create a change. And change is hard. It’s a heck of a lot easier to just stay in the comfort zone.

But guess what? If you allow yourself stay where you are, you will always be where you are. It’s like that quote by Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.”

We can’t go through the same cycles of our habits over and over again, and expect to grow or overcome our fears. And it’s how we respond to our fears that either holds us back, or helps us break through our barriers. And I tell you what…breaking through those barriers, and exploring a whole new world of exciting options, is a far more pleasant and fulfilling way to live.