some things i've learned about fear

Fear is a nasty thing. I imagine it as a thick, black sludge that snakes its way into your mind and your heart and exerts a crippling power over you. It makes you believe that you're not good enough, strong enough, or worth enough. You're just never enough.

Fear tells you that you can't. Can't live, can't laugh, can't love. Can't achieve, can't create, can't enjoy. 

Fear allows no possibility for growth. It debilitates you and confines you to where you are right now. It tells you that who you are right now is all you will ever be; it says that you had better get used to your surroundings, because you can never move forward. 

Fear tells you that the storms won't pass, the rain won't cease, and the sun will never shine. 

Fear convinces you that it's wise. It persuades you that it is correct and all-knowing. If my fears say it, it must be true. 

Fear is ubiquitous. It is lurking around every corner, hiding in every cabinet, and waiting in every crevice.

Fear never speaks truth. It never guides you down correct paths. It never offers comfort or assistance. 

Conquering fear is possible. I've heard and read from multiple sources that urge us to never take counsel from our fears. I was first introduced to this phraseology in a New Testament class I took last semester. The phrase tumbled out of my professor's mouth and immediately sought residence in my heart. It burrowed in deep, so that I wouldn't be able to extricate it even if I tried. 

I changed that day. I realized how much I was short changing myself by listening to my fears and letting them direct my course in life. I didn't want to allow that to happen anymore. 

So I didn't. 

It wasn't easy. As I endeavored daily to eliminate the paralyzing influence of fear in my life, I stumbled often. When I felt that I'd shaken fear off of my back, I could still  feel it grabbing at my ankles as I attempted to walk away a freer, more complete being. But every day, it became easier. Every day I became stronger. Every day I learned. 

I learned that without fear guiding my life, I was happier, more cheerful, and positive. I believed in people and I believed in myself. For the first time, I didn't scoff at the phrase "I can do hard things," believing it to be meaningless and cliche, because I knew that I could do hard things.  I learned to see trials and struggles as gifts. I learned that progression isn't about speed; it's about direction. You will still reach your destination if you crawl on your hands and knees until you are strong enough to stand and walk. 

I'm not perfect. I am not completely devoid of fear. I fear a lot of things, in fact. But the difference for me now is that I no longer believe my fears. I know that I can and will accomplish great things despite those fears. 

Fear does not define me. It does not restrict, confine, or debilitate me. I do not take counsel from my fears. 

For further (better) reading, follow the link: Commencement Address at BYU-H, December 2012 (David A. Bednar)