Facing the Fear of the Unknown

What can I do to overcome this fear I have of the unknown?

There's a saying, "Feel the fear and do it anyway!" and I think that's how I got from point A to point B for a very long time.

There was a time when I felt this wide-spread fear. It was a generalized feeling of fear, combined with doubt, uncertainity and worry. The first thing I had to do to overcome this fear was identifying what was it that I was so afraid of.

The best way that I know how to work out these types of self-reflection questions are to write about it, talk about it, and meditate about it.

When I wrote about my fears, I came to realize that there were a lot of "known" things that I was afraid of. I had feelings of fear that many people have -- afraid of success, afraid of failure, afraid of winning, afraid of losing...I was afraid to be myself; I was afraid to live. Being afraid to live leaves a person feeling drained and weakened by the passing events of life. I didn't really feel like I was being myself, and didn't feel like my self was being fulfilled.

So I started taking steps in a direction towards what I thought would bring me happiness.

I went back to school. I got a diploma in journalism. I was so afraid, but I did it anyway, and it wasn't so bad. Now years later, I can look back and say, "I did it!" And I'm not afraid of succeeding anymore.

Is there something in your life that is making you feel fearful and worried?

Start to face the fear by journaling about it. See what comes up. You may realize that the very act of writing about it releases its hold on you.

What you resist persists...

What can you do today to stop resisting that which you fear the most?