Written by: Andrew David McDowell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Fear. One of those four-letter words in life...we can’t totally escape it but we can embrace it…
Two Types of Fear
There are two types of Fear in life…the kind that you can see and the type you can’t see…like the Fear of the unknown. Fear that you can see is the type that occurs when you see a tornado in real life or a bank robbery in progress or a car accident as it is happening. Physical items that we know exist and when we come upon it we can picture the results very easily in our heads. It sets the fight or flight mechanisms in our body into action. The only course of action to prevent this in our life is to not put ourselves in situations where the risk of such activity is increased.
Fear of the Unknown
Fear of the unknown deals with our future…what is my life going to be like? Will someone like me or not? What is tomorrow going to bring for me? This is the type of Fear that most people worry about on a daily basis. Faith in yourself and faith in the Universe are the antidote for this type of Fear. This is the type of Fear that paralyzes us from going after and achieving our dreams…to live out our purpose in life. We can make a choice to live in this Fear and let it take over our life or we can find the courage to overcome it.
Fear is the Architect of the Ego
You know what? It is time for you to call your Fears onto the carpet and give them a good piece of your mind. Fear likes to lurk in the shadows and hide itself. It pulls out its tools and starts working on your ego... building a nice little structure for it…to support it…to grow it. By doing so, your Light diminishes and can’t shine through. It kisses your purpose goodbye and gives you a ticket for a seat in the arena…to watch your life from afar.
Fear and Tension…Red or Green Flag?
Tension and stress go along with Fear but it comes in two flavors. One flavor causes you to retreat and the other tells you that you are growing. You are working on your goals and stretching. This type is your partner in telling Fear to take a hike. Tension and stress can be good in life. It’s there when you are stretching yourself to try new things, learn new lessons, and achieve new goals. It is good to have in relationships as you try to understand your relationship partner, work through differences, cause attraction in, and grow the relationship.
Making Friends with Fear
Growth comes for yourself when you look Fear in the eye and say “Despite who you are, I am going to embrace you, learn to love you, and use you to my benefit and not my demise.” Just like the Ego, Fear is an item that can cause you to stop in your tracks and retreat, or it can be used to your advantage. Find a quiet place somewhere, send an invite to your Fear for a meeting, call it onto the carpet, and tell it that it's time for a change. Then give it a big hug and send it on its way. The choice is yours and will always be there to take. The choice to use Fear as a tool to walk backward or forward in your life.
Andrew David McDowell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Andy is an engineer by trade and a creative by nature. He spent 22 years with the Boeing Company, where he always felt more like a life coach than a boss. In 2002, he began his journey into entrepreneurship within a Corporation when he was asked to develop an Airspace Design Consulting business from scratch that would serve the global government market. Andy has a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia Tech in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State. Naturally, his aviation work took him around the world and enabled him to work on high-profile projects ‒ such as preparing the Beijing and Sochi Airports for their respective Olympic Games.
