This is optimal living daily episode 1505, taking risks part one combating fear by Andrew James of establishing the self.com and I'm just a Molick your very own personal narrator. I read to you from some of the best blogs in the world every day covering personal development and growth lifestyle, minimalism and more. If you enjoy the show, please share it with someone anyone. That's how I can keep this podcast going.
It's with your help. But I'll keep this intro short for this Friday. So let's get right to it and continue optimizing your life taking risks part one combating fear by Andrew James of establishing the self.com Think a moment to imagine your ideal lifestyle, the one you so frequently catch yourself daydreaming about, envision that life in which all of your wildest fantasies, desires and dreams are carefully mixed into a beautiful cocktail of fulfillment, a life full of meaningful experiences, relationships and achievements. Now ask yourself, if this lifestyle were a reality, who would you be?
What characteristics would define you? Perhaps you'd be driven by passion as opposed to apathy, creativity as opposed to necessity, or in some extreme cases, love instead of hate. Now, compare this mental image to the lifestyle you are currently pursuing and investing in. Do the two differ?
More often than not, the answer is yes. This perfect example. The life I'm speaking of is all too familiar to many of us, yet we assume it is immeasurably out of reach. The risks required would be too detrimental.
The question asked is why? Why are we so complacent in our mediocrity and comfortability? Why are we so hesitant to take risks and uproot our unfulfilling and in extreme cases, emotionally agonizing lifestyles? Why is it so easy for us to cognitively construct our ideal lifestyle and its principles?
But when it comes to the actual implementation of said principles, we cower. These are not uncommon questions and there are even questions I've attempted to answer before and will continue to do so. There are a few factors that may play to our inherent risk aversion. On one hand, there is no denying that our culture has predestined many individuals to fill with the risk of risk.
We have pre-constructed societal roles. Additionally, one can understand how the emphasis that society places on the decisions we make contributes to our lack of risk taking. However, when we begin to dissect and examine our personal insecurities,prohibitors, and mental barricades, we can link all of our personal inhibitions to a single origin. Fear.
Fear takes various shapes and wears many faces. Fear is a quiet, seductive voice occupying the space in the back of your mind. It whispers to you daily, malevolently reminding you of your perceived flaws and insecurities. Fear is the twinge in your gut, the subtle drop in your stomach, as he lament about the unknowns of the past and present.
Fear is the deafening silence that keeps you restlessly tossing and turning at night. Fear tells us we are not and never will be good enough for anything. At times, fear embodies itself as justification and vindication for a life that we realize is ultimately falling short of our expectations. Fear convinces us to settle for contentment even though we know it is just a mediocre baseline at best.
It tells us not to strive for a better life, yet simultaneously convinces us to blame relevant or irrelevant circumstances for our current lifestyle. Fear prevents us from living the life we truly desire and does a pretty good job at it. Because of this, fear is the single most poisonous ingredient in the recipe for living deliberately. That being said, if we are to attempt to overcome and combat fear, which I highly recommend, we must first seek to understand its genesis.
We must also recognize that there are two types of fear, rational and irrational. In layman's terms, rational fear is our body's psychological and physiological reaction to anything we recognize as a perceived threat. This form of fear is a physical and biological response, intricately woven into our DNA with perfected complexity. Contrary to the tone of this essay, I believe that rational fear is a necessary trait to possess.
It attempts to keep us out of danger and keep our senses alert. Rational fear prevents the young child from placing his hand on the hot stove, lest he burn it. When we are walking home from a late night out with friends, rational fear keeps us on our toes, telling us to avoid the men's, especially lurking in the alleyway ahead. Rational fear at times protects us like an instinctual sixth sense.
Although irrational fear retains many of the same biological responses as rational fear, its intentions are much more sinister. Irrational fear masks itself as rational fear, prompting the same psychological reactions despite a situation's level of danger. Often, irrational fear is able to confuse you, inducing anxiety into your life where logically, there is no need. When we encounter new challenges, irrational fear convinces us to react in the only way we know how, to be afraid and avoid the unknown.
By doing so, we are promised a contentment of our andine lifestyles. Irrational fear utilizes our trepidation of the unknown to prevent the pursuit of true happiness. In an attempt to level a playing field, we must attempt to attack irrational fear on a biological level. I believe the easiest way to do this is to actively take risks.
Taking risks in your life is an efficient and effective way to cultivate true personal happiness. Risk-taking allows an individual to combat irrational fear not only on an emotional level, but on an instinctually psychological one as well. When we begin making decisions that directly contradict our biological and habitual tendencies, we force ourselves to adapt and evolve. By encountering the unknown, we are able to gain insight into the world of our perceived threats.
Over time, what you were once afraid of becomes significantly less intimidating, where irrational fear once dwelled, confidence and peace now resides. Suddenly, what were once perceived risks transformed into simple decisions, quitting that job does not seem as detrimental, you know that you've encountered obstacles like this before. Breaking off that toxic friendship is difficult, but you understand it is better for your overall well-being. Evolving into this new mindset is daunting, but you now know that the risks you take, whether good or bad, will help you mature and adapt to the new future you've created for yourself.
You just listen to the post titled Taking Risks, Part 1, Combating Fear by Andrew James of establishingtheself.com. Take it Andrew, I think many therapists would agree with this one that a lot of fears do come down to what's known as exposure therapy. The tough part that's a patient or the person with the fear is getting yourself to actually do those things though. That's where it helps to have a therapist or some kind of emotional support to help you take those risks and overcome these issues.
So if you're in this situation and find that you can't get yourself to take risks or become exposed to your fears directly, try seeking out help and finding someone that can work through it with you. That's a big step in the right direction. I'll leave there for today, hope you're having a great Friday, and I'll see you over the weekend, where your optimal life awaits.