Freedom Comes From Living!

It is so easy to live in a constant state of fear. There are storms raging all around us and there is always going to be a battle to win, a fight to fight and a struggle to overcome.
This became my normal, this became my mode of operation for day to day living. Remember, This is my story – #myFreedomChallenge! 

![Enlight97.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWc5gAgVa85iwcxbSgdySmhLRTScuoVLaiz2jHnBFVMRH/Enlight97.jpg)

 Vade Mecum (journey with me and you will learn)

I would like to believe that in life,  there are many things you can change  – The obstacle we face when wanting to change is that we spend more time focussing and obsessing on the process which consumes us and ultimately we never tuly appreciate the result.  
Like you, I have spent my whole life on a journey, Often having the chance to do something new, achieve something big and I am still to this day trying to  live a life to which I can one-day say – I GAVE IT ALL!

Until now, there has been one thing left that has stood in my way.

FEAR!

Yes I know you could have guessed it. This isn’t your average fear – This is the kind of fear that is irrational.

It's kinda like this. A Shark is feared largely because of an over exaggerated and misinformed picture that has been developed over the years.  but it is a known fact that, people have died because of Shark attacks. ( I love sharks and have a deep respect for them and have dived with them often.) But i do know that loving them doesn’t mean they are not capable of ripping me in half. It makes sense that a person could develop a fear of sharks. and this would be a rational fear to some degree. 
( I know there are better analogies but I like this one.) 

An irrational fear, would be freaking out and believing a shark attack would happen in my swimming pool hundreds of miles from the ocean – Yes, I had this fear as a child and many others too (it's okay to laugh).

This is the Fear I want to address.

Irrational Fear can leave you completely emotionally and physically paralysed.  Fear can be the greatest controlling and limiting factor of your life, it can keep you safe but it can also keep you from ever experiencing the life that you have the potential to live. 

I believe that the most dangerous and irrational fear is not of spiders, clowns or the dark but it’s the Fear of what other people would think. Yes, your need of social acceptance, fitting in and absolutely avoiding conflict or the negative opinions of other people. This is one of Society’s worst fears. and what makes it worse is that we create this fear within ourselves. One good example is that We love to Gossip yet at the same time in most cases we can’t handle being talked about. the more we gossip the more internally insecure we become.

This fear is one that will prevent you from living a life of freedom and happiness. It takes a lot to over come this fear because it is something that we are raised with in our societies. our schooling system teaches us to conform and to succeed within the normal constructed paradigms, anything out of the normal is dangerous. I believe that we are being raised with the wrong tools for our current environment. Success leaves clues, and one of the biggest clues is that the most successful people in the world are not happily living their lives based on what other people think but on what they want. They don’t make decisions based on the normal expectations of society.

Here’s a quick example – If Steve Jobs was afraid of what people thought, he would never have created something as Controversial as Apple. If the opinions of others are more important to you than living  and pursuing your dreams, then you have to WAKE UP!!! You are throwing your life away.

Ask yourself this;

Do I really matter to them so much that they are talking about me all the time?

The answer is a simple NO.

Everyone has to live, survive and thrive in this world. I am sorry to break it to you, but those people you are so afraid of, are way too busy living their own lives with their own fears, insecurities, skeletons and embarrassing stories. And the successful people around you are way too busy working hard to gossip and worry about the small talk happening around them.

 

“Those who mind don’t matter and, those who matter don’t mind.” - Bernard Baruch

 

It is important to live an authentic life and to be true to yourself. I don’t think that i need to go any deeper into this but here’s a bit of advice..

Here are 3 steps, you could use towards claiming your freedom over this fear that is preventing you from living a more happy and personally satisfying life.

Step 1 Make a very detailed list of the people who are always talking about you, the people you fear the most and who’s negative opinions about you matter the most to you. Then, divide the list into two groups.

Group 1 – People who love you and truly care about your happiness and your future.
Group 2 – People who don’t have any true relationship with you and don’t know you personally but for some reason they made it onto your list
Step 2 Analyse each name on this list, apply the following questions to each name

Does this person know me personally?
Would this person support me in positive ways in times of difficulty?
Is this person’s opinion motivated by selfishness and jealousy or Love and honesty?
Does my happiness matter to this person?
You should now have a list where you can personally identify the difference between people who love and care about you and the things you care about, even though they may not agree with your decisions and the life you choose.

You will also have a list of people who you have given unfair power to. They rule over your life and they don’t even know this. These people on this list, DON’T MATTER! Highlight this list to remind yourself of this fact.

Step 3 Realise that you will have supporters and opponents for every challenge you face in life. And sometimes, you will only have opponents but that doesn’t mean you should live in fear. You need to ask yourself the question every day. Am I happy? You need to be honest and true to yourself, your talents and your dreams.

Ultimately One-day, No one will but YOU, will care about what you Should have, Might have and Could have achieved –

Don’t be a slave to Fear.

My Name is Miguel. And I am new to Steemit!