Definition of Fiction: invention or fabrication as opposed to fact.
Most of us know what it’s like to face a “choice- crisis” or to have goals and desires that feel almost so farfetched that we are afraid to speak them out loud. When we have to make decisions and take risks that feel profound, we are up against our own “Fictions of Fear.” We are not biologically bred to “succeed” but to survive. And that means that our brains aren’t always telling us the truth about our potential. Our brains are telling us what we need to hear in order to stay as risk-free as possible. However, it is through small wins, risk-taking and reflection, that we learn to balance our brains’ survival instincts with our deepest desires to thrive. When your brain is feeding you your own fictions of fear, please remember that the driver in your gut (even if it is very quiet and easily stifled) is calling out to you because we are not meant to merely exist, but to truly live. I have to wage daily wars with my own “Fictions.” Often I lose. There have been time periods in my life that these kinds of fears have ruled me for years on end. But even by simply writing them down, I am putting them back in their place.
I have written many of mine below for you to read. But the million dollar question is, (gulp)… are they valid? To answer that, I like to imagine that I could gift these thoughts with a body and a face. If I had a person in my life who said these things to me every day, would I want them in my life? What kind of advice and help would they offer? Terrible and abusive advice, that’s what kind! What a psychopath! With a friend like that, who need enemies? My real friends would try to stage an intervention to get this horrible person out of my life ASAP. Perhaps you need to stage your own intervention. Write out your fears. Then imagine that they belong to a person. Ask yourself, are you offended? Do you want to ask them for their advice about your potential? Are they here to love and help you succeed or are they a cruel and pathetic? Are they of any use to you? Of course they aren’t. He or she would be the worst friend in the world. Be your own best friend instead of your own worst enemy. I hope you will take some time to write downyour Fictions of Fear. After you do, spend some time imagining those words coming out of the mouth of a stranger. Does it shift your belief in those fears? How does it make you feel? If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear about it!
My Fictions Of Fear
You are going to fail .
If you do the thing you want really to do, everything else around you will fall apart.
Everyone will hate you.
People will judge you.
People will laugh at you.
People won’t take you seriously
Your ideas are stupid
You’re a fraud
It’s too late for you to start
You’ve got too many responsibilities to take the risk
You are talentless
You’ve really got no talent and no one has the heart to tell you
You don’t know enough
You’re not enough of an expert
You’ll look silly
It’s too scary
Everyone will be mad at you
No one will forgive you
Your life will be ruined
You’ll lose everything
You’ll feel guilty for the rest of your life
You can’t do what you want because everyone else around you NEEDS you to stay as you are
It’s too late to change
Other people could do this better than you
You won’t know where to begin
You’re not smart enough