I stood at the edge of the slopes. The wind brought a fresh chill to my face.
The instructor said in a gruff voice, “Ready?”
“Yup, I guess…”, I replied with a tinge of apprehension.
“Let’s go!”, he barked, and we ran off the slope, towards the yawning valley in front of us. The parachute caught the wind, and we took off. This is my first tandem diving experience!
3 years ago, when I leapt off the comfort of my pharmaceutical job, there was the same apprehension. And perhaps that F word: Fear.
And today, that very same F word is evident all around. People are fearing for their jobs, their health, their livelihood. There is apprehension, there is worry, there is despair and resignation.
Fear Vs Faith
Fear comes through knowing, while faith comes through believing.
Fear is about knowing what you have tried and not succeeded, and being hesitant and uncertain about making the next move. Faith is about believing that the next time you try will bring you one more step closer to success, and is about not giving up in spite of.
Fear focuses on lack, while faith focuses on abundance.
Fear is about what we do not have or what we are not. Faith is about what we have on our hands, and what we can give to bless or help other people. You remember the biblical story of David and Goliath? If David was a fearful man, he would cower in fear like the rest of the Israelites and back off from Goliath and his giant brothers. But David was a man full of faith. He knew that he had certain useful abilities and armed with the 5 stones and slingshot, he marched off with confidence into the battlefield. He firmly believed that he had more than enough to defeat the giants.
Fear pushes you away, while faith drives you on.
Fear will cause people to run away from their problems and their pain, or seek temporary solutions to long lasting problems. This is how addiction comes about, when people indulge in the sensory pleasure to avoid tackling deeper, longer term issues. However, faith will drive you on to tackle problems at its roots, and summon up the courage to do so. During the Covid crisis, you can see how faith and fear operate to drive different outcomes. Those people who had faith would bite the bullet, take the loss and re-organize their businesses and strategies. They would seek out opportunities to learn and upgrade, and come up with creative solutions to earn an income. Those who acted out of fear will always blame their circumstances, or do the same things expecting different results.
How can we overcome fear?
3 steps to overcoming fear: JAR!
Right focus
If we focus on the right things, we will get the right results.
Focus on what you can do, rather than what you cannot do.
Focus on the future possibilities, rather than your current limitations.
Ask yourself,”What if I succeed?”
Abundance
The glass is half full? Or half empty?
I would say the glass is half full, but there is another half to fill!
There is potential and possibilities!
Most people believe in a zero-sum game, that you win at the expense of somebody else.
Or vice-versa.
But that need not be true!
You can collaborate with people and tap on each other’s expertise and network!
Also, it is such a joy and delight to be able to help someone freely…
Just do it!
Sometimes we overthink and we suffer from “analysis paralysis”.
Or we don’t feel confident, or good enough to attempt something.
Like my maiden tandem dive, sometimes it pays just to take a daring leap off the slopes!
