Inactivity is Greater Than Fear.

Fear. What a complex and equally intriguing emotion. We have all experienced fear to some degree, ranging from mild inconvenience to crippling anxiety. Before we delve too far into the complexity of this emotion, I must first state in very clear terms that I am not a clinical practitioner. Merely I am an individual in pursuit of the truth and a deep desire to help others work through and chew on complex thoughts and emotions as I do the same. With that in mind, the core goal of this blog post is to tackle how fear keeps us from being our best selves and often bars us from pursuing what we have natural skill sets for by fooling us into the sense that inactivity is somehow better.

Inactivity > Fear

As previously mentioned, fear is a very complex reality in all our lives. Though we have definitions in place, there is a deeper aspect of fear that I wish to delve into today. Growing up in church, I became very familiar with the term of fear. Initially, this emotion began as one in which I was scared, frightened, and anxious about where I would go after death. Did I deserve to suffer for my misdeeds? There was a time when that emotion was what drove me. It held a grip on my heart and mind in such a way that I checked everything through the lens of what is the worst possible outcome, often to the degree of totally missing out on opportunities. This went on for some time, though you wouldn’t notice it on the outside. Looking back on those times, it is such a shame – how many opportunities to truly connect with people did I miss? What is so surprising is that none of my friends would describe me as a fearful person. I was after all the one to cliff dive, and trust fall off two-story hay bales without a countdown (much to the dismay of my friends).

Therein lies the deceptive and all-powerful nature of fear. It lurks below the surface, only manifesting itself in the most extreme situations. As cheesy as it is, one of the most insightful takes on this emotion was from a pastor who would visit our church during special events. He loved to use the acronym F.E.A.R.: False Evidence Appearing Real. As I pursue a creative career this acronym makes so much more sense. There is a lot of time I spend in front of my monitor questioning whether I am doing the right thing: Is this a career for me? After all, there are thousands of other writers better than me who haven’t made it, so why should I be any different? Though this may be true, inactivity is the enemy here. We often falsely assume that if we don’t act, we can't get hurt. But I would say that inactivity is what truly hurts us. This, in my opinion, is the real devastating nature of fear. The truth of the matter is that if you never act so as to not get hurt, you hurt yourself irrevocably. Your maximum potential is only set by your willingness to sidestep fear and learn more, create more, and do more. The more I act despite this fear, the greater my skills become as a husband, friend, and writer. When I act, even if the results are a total failure, the more I notice those flaws and can confront and fix them in future attempts. In the shortest form possible, failure has become one of my greatest teachers. If we can view fear as an opportunity to act and overcome old vices rather than an opportunity to fail, we will become the greatest version of ourselves. Even the most devastating of failures can be our greatest success with grace.

Putting it into practice

I love having a blog wrap-up with advice, habits, or strategies that can be implemented. This may, however, be one of the more painful practices due to its requirement of being made vulnerable repeatedly. Practice is the only way to truly grow in anything, and overcoming one's fears is no different. As this blog focused on fear’s tendency to use inactivity as a “protection” from failure, your homework is simple: act in those moments. I know, it’s a rather obtuse statement, and in all honesty, though it seems simple, it’s a solution that is not necessarily easy to implement.

Start small. Find that one thing you are afraid of that causes some level of inactivity. Maybe it is a fear of bugs. Maybe it is talking to strangers. Maybe it is exercising. There is a plethora of small things we are afraid of – mine was being open and vulnerable to those around me. It took me ages and a scenario outside of my control (in which I lived with my in-laws) to break through. Without going into details, this unwillingness to share my inner emotions and thoughts sometimes showed as uncaring, undriven, or dismissive. This wasn't the case, but that is what I showed through my inaction caused by fear. It took someone who loved me enough and a willingness on my part to listen to even begin to conquer my fear. Now on the other end of that struggle, I have become more honest with others, but more importantly myself and the emotions I feel. Through the conquering of my fear of emotions, I have grown to understand others better, begun to pursue my passions more honestly, and have become a better husband.

In conclusion

Inactivity is the enemy. Though fear is the author of inactivity, it is important to note that you can never fully remove fear from your life. That is why it is so important to eliminate the manifestations of fear, such as inactivity. When you learn to focus on those emotions and vices surrounding fear, you begin to learn fear is not as big of a monster as you once thought. Even with the focus of this blog being on the inactivity caused by fear, these same strategies and thought processes can be applied to any of the outpourings of fear in your life. When you do so, you will be able to act in ways you thought weren’t possible and grow in your personal life as well as professionally. Maybe you will even realize that your once-thought-impossible desire is just an arm's length away.