Fearlessness
"Fearlessness is about getting up one more time than we fall down. The more comfortable we are with the possibility of falling down, the less worried we are of what people will think if and when we do, the less judgmental of ourselves we are every time we make a mistake, the more fearless we will be, and the easier our journey will become." - Arianna Huffington
Anyone who doesn't experience some type and degree of fear in their life is either lying or insane. Fear is a built in human mechanism that is in place to preserve our safety and life itself. It is when we are unable to recognize real threats from perceived threats that our fear can hold us back. Fear of failure, rejection, or other fears that mainly come from our ego can keep us from trying new things, taking risks, and endeavoring to better ourselves through change.
The challenge lies not in becoming fearless, but in ceasing to be fearful (or full of fear). How do we learn to not be overwhelmed by uncertainty? How can we become comfortable in moving forward when things might not work out? There are several things we can learn to do through practice that can help us live a little more fearlessly.
Mindfulness. That's right. The word you hear thrown around so much when people are talking about meditation or living in the now. If you practice learning mindfulness, you are practicing being comfortable in your own skin in the present moment. Much of the fear generated by your egoic mind has no place in a mindful present and so will no longer hamper your progress if you learn to be present in the moment.
This does not happen overnight for most people. It is a slow transition through a deliberate practice, but the benefits become clear very early on.
Another thing that can be cultivated to have less fear in your life is faith. Faith in the universe, a higher power, God, mankind, whatever works for you. If you have a core belief that the universe is basically good and on your side, then you can believe that the universe intends the best for you. You may fail (and in fact will fail on occasion), but your faith is in the belief that the universe will pick you back up and you will have learned a valuable lesson for next time.
The last thing I will suggest is to lower or eliminate expectations. When your expectations are high, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Maybe not everytime, but certainly often. Since we can't know the future, our expectations are simply our best (or sometimes worst) guess about the outcome of a situation. Plan the plan, don't plan the results. If you can keep it to just that, you may find it easier and more realistic to take a chance.
This practice of becoming fearless is really about coming to fear-less. It is a realistic way of bettering your human experience and moving forward in your life. If you can stay mindfully present in the moment, have some faith, and don't expect too much, you will be surprised at how much easier it becomes to take on situations that once seemed daunting. Put your practice to work—and fear-less!
