Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke to a nation in his 1933 inaugural address that had fallen on hard times. The Great Depression had turned the nation on its side. The famous quote “my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself’. FDR was telling Americans that there fear and or lack of faith in the economy was making it worse
When I was a child I was taught to use my fear and not to allow my fear to use me i.e. dictate my action. I was also taught that the word’s “I can’t” should never leave a man’s lips. For the most part I would say I have used my fear to make me better by facing new challenges head on. My mother who is a great swimmer told me the story of how she learned to swim when I was a kid. My mom said my grandfather knew she was scared of the water so during one summer day at the lake he decided to throw her in. My mother said it was sink or swim. With the likelihood of drowning my mother remembered the swim techniques that my grandfather had unsuccessfully tried to teach her earlier in the summer. My mother swam that day and she has never stopped.
There was this huge party this fellow attended where he had one to many drinks. As the fellow left the party he had to make the decision to walk or call a cab. The fellow decided that he would cut through the cemetery cutting his mile long walk in half. The fellow made his way halfway through the cemetery when he fell into what appeared to be an open grave. The fellow frantically tried to get out for several minutes but, he eventually gave up. A little later in the night a second man fell into the same open grave as the fellow had fallen in. As the man frantically tried to get out he heard the fellow say “you might as well give up because you’re not getting out”. The man now scared to death quickly made his way out of the open grave.
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”- Confucius
Marianne Williamson authored the 1992 book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A course in Miracles. In the book the author looked at the changing power that accepting God’s love has on the human spirit. A quote from the book has been used by several other authors:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be?
You are a child of God
Your playing small does not serve the world
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
All of my fears surround my impact or lack thereof on the world. Did I do my part to reach as many people as I could? What lasting impact did I make? Was I an agent of change or did the world change me? What are your fears? Are they holding you back? Tell yourself today I am motivated to overcome my fear through perseverance.
The Weary Blues 