Where does fear begin?

How do we reach our full potential without letting our fears control our destiny?

How do we take hold of the fear that we give so much power and use it to propel us forward?

How can we condition our minds to think differently?

There is no one answer to overcome fear, we just have to make a start.

We are not born to fear, but fear is developed overtime through the experiences we face. The experiences partly come from how we were raised and how we were taught to react to the things we now fear. Of course, we all don't develop fear the same way. Some may even just call it anxiety or being cautious. However, whatever it may be we sometimes allows it to debilitate us from being our best self.

To get to the bottom of where anything begins we have to go back to the foundation of where it all started. So, where does fear begin? For me fear started as a child growing up in a culture where I was expected to be seen and not heard, where I was sheltered from exploring the ever so changing world and where I was too precious to break. I was made to be afraid of speaking up (almost not having my own voice), swimming in the ocean because of the possibility of drowning, trying something different and new, a whipping for anything and to not be perfect in my appearance.

I've have countless conversations with many friends, family members and we share similar thoughts on why we are fearful of things in our lives today. We talked about "wishing we had more exposure to things and having someone to push us to try new things." For me this was a key part of my upbringing. Now I think about it maybe they didn't push me because they were also fearful or because they had no one pushing them. Yes, they did the best they could at the time, but were they a little too safe; which made me a little too oblivious, a little too naive; having less sense of self and feeling like I never fit in or belong. Or was it a good thing because of the positive effects it did have on me? Such as me being responsible and respectful in which I am forever grateful for because of the kind of society we live in today. The idea or that way of life has stuck with me through life and crippled me for a long time from exploring the ever so changing world and finding my true passion.

We all simply want to be great because we had lacked the desire for wanting to be great. We all just want to find our true self and be able to embrace it without the fear of disappointing our parents. To be able to step outside our comfort zones and build our character that will bring out that little voice we often hear deep in the back of our heads that wants us to be great and be the best versions of our self that we possibly can.

So...why let fear hinder us? The time is now! Why don't we change our thoughts and adjust the way we react to our experience, so that we can grow and learn. And when I say learn I mean learn to not be fearful, but to use these experiences to propel us. Be that lion in the jungle and roar so loud that the world will hear us. It is not impossible and by voicing our thoughts we make a start. So here is my start to something new and exciting. Here is my start to let go and letting that voice take over, while holding on to the fear in me as the power in me that will unleash my true being. Remember, "You’re a voice in this world and you deserve to be heard"-Sister Act.