How Will You Approach Fear in 2020?
Consider this story:
“One day a wise master went to visit a remote mountain temple.
As he approached the temple he saw a pair of ferocious dogs chained to the entry gate.
Upon seeing him, they barked and pulled against their chains.
The monk accompanying the master said, ‘I know these dogs look scary, but don’t worry; they are chained to the wall and cannot harm you.’
As he passed the entrance to the temple, he looked back to see that the dogs had broken free from their chains and were racing directly towards him.
Then the master started to run—directly towards the dogs.
The dogs were so surprised to see the Master running at them that they turned around and ran away.”
When I first read this, it really got me thinking about how we can approach fear.
The usual response is to back away or stop or even run the other way sometimes!
We talk about facing and confronting our fears, but do we ever consider running toward our fears like this man did with the ferocious dogs?
I created 5 questions for you to think about as we approach 2020.
But first, fears come in all different shapes and sizes and not all fears are the same for each one of us.
I truly believe that our fears will shrink as we tenaciously attack them.
But why run toward our fears? It’s scary. There are risks.
There are possible failures that can occur. There is possible pain that can hurt.
These factors are tough to deal with and that’s why I’d like for you to pay special attention to questions 2 & 3 — those questions will help you determine those answers.
Please invest some time in a quiet place by yourself this week to dive deep into these five questions about fear.
How you choose to approach fear this coming year will make an impact on the direction your life will go.
Ponder these questions below to help you design your own personal approach to fear this coming year:
1) What fears do you have in the coming year?
2) What positive things could happen if you chose to face these fears?
3) What could happen if you chose not to face these fears?
4) What fears will you run toward in 2020?
5) Who will you have to become to overcome your fears?
BONUS Question:
Imagine it is this time next year.
Write a few sentences or several paragraphs about how you want to feel about how you approached your own fears in 2020.
Write in the past tense, as though it has already happened.
Through these questions, take some time to reflect on this past year, be thankful for all that you have, and plan for an amazing 2020.
Sure, we can’t control everything, but taking the time to work on yourself as you continue to grow into the person you long to be is always time well spent.
I encourage you to write and especially to work through the five questions (and bonus question) I gave you today.
Happy New Year!
*Dog story is from author Robin Sharma
