Facing and crushing your fears

Morning!

And how are you today?  My gosh, my sleeping patterns are sooo weird (how weird are they Barbara?) that yesterday, I was able to fall asleep only after 1am or so (so my usual wakeup time of 3am was FOR ONCE YES! a no go.  🙂  ). 

Of course, the next burning question that is currently engulfing you in flaming curiosity is….Jeepers Barbara, what happened that kept your mind on overdrive for so long?

So glad you asked!!

Two days ago, I participated in my beloved karate sparring.  More importantly, my eldest girl also tackled it as well!

Think of the meanest, toughest parakeet you can imagine….going up against a methodical Bald eagle.

That’s what my kid experienced.  And I am SO incredibly proud of her, words fail me.

Here’s what happened.

I’m a big believer in being pushed past any normal, sane limits when it comes to recognizing your inner strength, your courage, your endurance and the like.  This is one reason why I embrace Martial Arts; I’m in my 40s, I go up against guys in their 20s who could easily mop the floor with me…and I bounce back and demand more.  It’s quite character-building, actually…I’ve learned so much about my inner strength that I could…..write a book!  Now THERE’S a novel idea!  🙂

But I digress.  🙂

Anywhos, my kid agreed that during the summer, she’d participate with me.  She’s incredibly gifted for her age, and extremely determined to boot…but she had never gone against anyone who wanted to show her "the next level".

To make a long story short, think of running body-first into a brick wall, bouncing off, and trying it again and again.  That’s vaguely akin to her trying to get on the inside of the sensei’s defenses, meeting his Foot of Death, and bring propelled in the opposite direction…..again and again.

Now, dignified mature mother that I am, all  I could think of was "Oooooo gosh I know how that feels!" as I’ve been kicked across the room in the past and into all 4 sides of a boxing ring to boot (did you know you really do bounce off of the ropes?  Wheee!).  And afterwards, my kid and I had major debriefing about how conquering fear and expanding your inner spirit is really one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

Have YOU ever been brought up, face to face, with something that utterly terrifies you?

If so, how have you dealt with it?

Hmmmmm?

Here’s some tips that I’ve learned in the past that have helped not only me but my family as well.

1.)  Tomorrow always comes.  Unless of course you’re dead, by this time tomorrow…the thing you fear will have passed.  Knowing that will help you set aside your emotions and concentrate upon the challenge facing you.

2.)  Doing nothing will destroy you.  If you face something you fear and choose to do absolutely nothing about it…what you fear….will truly come to pass.   The strongest dead man cannot brush away a fly, but the weakest coward can still run.

3.)  Trust in fate…but give fate a kick in the right direction.  You are the master of your own destiny….but that destiny has to be seized and created by YOU.  Forget about the Law of Attraction here – when the chips are down, the only person upon whom you can rely is yourself.  Honor that reality.

4.)  Facing your fear gives you incredible gifts.  Once you’ve dealt with your fear and can regroup and debrief yourself….

You’ll be socked in the jaw with the realization:  My gosh, I survived!

The only reason you survived is because you marshaled up the courage to take control of your fears and face them with your heart and soul.  Things like that leave marks upon your inner courage – you are proactively made aware of just how strong you truly are.

So remember…the next time you’re brought face to face with your fears, realize that there’s something really important that you’re expected to learn.  Surviving fear teaches courage….and you can take THAT to the bank.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

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