Are you afraid?

     Sure you are. So am I. It's the human condition to be afraid. Life is tenuous. Challenges are everywhere. Threats to our survival. Disease. Violence. Old age. Accident.
     So it's natural to live in fear? Un-uh.

     You can live in fear if you want to, but you don't have to. Fear is a product of thinking. The fearful thought precedes the fearful feeling.
     This from Think Like a Winner by Walter Staples.

You were born practically fearless. Most children have only two fears at birth, a fear of falling and a fear of loud noises. Even these may have been learned in the womb. Almost all other fears are acquired through the process of learning and repetition.

     Think about it, or I should say, remember: when you were a kid were you all weighed down with fear. No, of course not. So where did the fear come from? Did it swoop down on you? The boogey man? No, you learned it. You learned it from your parents (especially from your parents), your church (especially from your church) and a host of other places. 'Be afraid. Be very afraid.' was their message.
     The good news?

We think ourselves into anxiety and we can think ourselves out of it. (from From Panic to Power by Lucinda Bassett)

     You'll never be able to nip the feeling of fear at the bud, but you will be able to be able to nip the fearful thought that precedes the fear.
     Fearful thoughts will come. Especially in the middle of the night when your unconscious mind predominates. But when they do come, do not entertain them. Do not repeat them. Do not coddle them. Play with them. Address them. No, banish them.
     'I had a fearful thought, that's all. I'm not running with it. It's just a thought. It's not who I am. I'm bigger than my thoughts.'
     Life is hard enough without living in fear. Next time you have a fearful thought boot it out the door and live free.