Let’s murder FEAR.

I once had a mentor who taught me, “fear is a liar.” A liar, like a person who lies to you. If that is the case, and I believe it often is, then what are these falsehoods Villain Fear has told me and how often have I believed them?

I wonder about the things Fear has kept me from doing and the things Fear has prompted me to do. Fear has been a constant in my life, from my earliest memories of social anxiety or what they used to call “being shy.” As a teenager, I self-medicated Fear and masked it with rebellious bravado.

Fear might be like the people I’ve known who were pathological liars. These individuals would lie about things they’ve done or about things they have. They would even tell you with conviction the sky is green as you are gazing up into the blue. They are compelled to lie about everything. Sometime liars will lie to mask their own troubles and create a false world that feels safer. Fear is like that. Seeking out the comfortable rather than a more difficult truth.

Fear is a complicated villain. 

Fear is constantly whispering something in my ear. Sometimes it tells me not to assert my ideas and just keep my mouth shut. Sometimes it is a harsh editor. Sometimes it disguises itself as someone who used to put me down in the past. Fear tells me that I will fail. Fear tells me I’m no good. Fear tells me not to bother trying. Fear is sometimes the deepest darkest parts of myself, waking me up with cold sweats and a pounding heart. 

Fear is a dangerous adversary.

It is so easy to let Fear win. It’s true that sometimes when you face Fear you take a risk. Now that years of experience have made me better equipped to recognize Fear and look him in the eye, I have found it exhilarating to overcome Fear.

So shall we do away with Fear? After all, Fear has only held us back and caused regret, right? Maybe we plot the perfect murder for Fear. We smother Fear and don’t let him speak. We drop Fear in a bottomless pit to never see the light of day. Or what if we drown Fear in the middle of the ocean? 

But, no. A little Fear can sometimes keep us from harm. The best way I’ve found to do away with Fear is to see him, recognize him and ignore him.

Keep writing, writers!