Fear; to me, is the feeling caused by the nearness or the possibility of the unwanted and unknown. It is the feeling of the unknown and a strong desire for anticipation. Fear is a conditioned response; an emotion, related to the physiological mechanism present in all animals- This mechanics is managed by a certain region of our brain.
Hence, fear is a direct product of our brain. It is not induced by anybody or anything.
I, personally and strongly believe that there are two types of fear:
The psychological and the instinctive. The psychological is borne out of our mental processes. It is caused by our physical consciousness. The instinctive is a reactive emotion naturally and permanently associated with our physical survival.
Our deepest and greatest fear is not in our inabilities but in our abilities. It is not our known weakness that generates our fear but our most untrusted strength. Here is the point I am driving at:
Fear being a product of our strength, stands at the doorway of the hall of fame, at our entrance to stardom. It blocks our passage to achieving success like a sworn enemy that is ready to forgive.
You don’t agree with me, do you? You will. Going through the following question and finding out that the answer is mostly ‘No’ and very little ‘Yes’:
Does fear makes you stronger? - Physically? May be. Your brain system governs fear response in a way that makes your body to release some hormones like adrenaline, a number of endorphins, into your system boasting your fight or ‘flight system’. My argument is this: fear is not the only emotion that can crank you up physically – excitement can give you the same physiological benefits without the mental negatives of panics and irrationality……..so, fear makes you physically stronger but st a steep mental price.
Does fear keeps you alive? - I don’t think so. It is true fear can prompt you into avoiding anything that may or may not be dangerous, but that is not what keeps you alive. You are alive not because you wanted to but because you needed to- because there is a purpose. Besides, the close you are to danger, the father you are from harm.
Does fear gives you good judgment? – I would say no. there is no direct proof that makes you tap into intuitiveness- You can use your judgment and intuition about the danger in something without being afraid of it. Honestly, your evaluation will include whether you are afraid in avoiding a dangerous situation but your end judgment might not. Fear gives nothing but distraction and panic.
Does fear makes you focus? – Apparently no. You, by now, know that fear system governs various response in time of crisis – different part of your nervous system regulates different fear response: crying, freezing, running, attacking and so on. In state of crisis, if your fear is well managed, these responses get jumbled up that you lose your focus and power to decide.
Does fear makes you perform? – I have heard people saying that their performance under pressure is as result of ‘the help of their fear’. They may be right, but I’m not convinced. In my personal experience about performing under pressure, where focus is involved, prompt decision making is needed and time is critical factor, I never see fear being a part of it. I have always argued that fear comes in before or afterward, not a part of it. – Because if does, you lose your ability to focus and make prompt decision, hence you cannot perform.
By now you should agree with my argument that to achieve fame and success in life you need physical and mental strength, good judgment, high level of focus, prompt decision and great performance. – These you cannot achieve with your fears. Hence, fear is apparently an unforgiving foe of fame.- Fight it!
