On Fear, Faith, and Failure - RIPE-O with TYPEOS
June 13, 2007
Feeding and Starving
You have heard that fear is false evidence appearing real.
I thought I'd off a few more and it is an exercise for me because I am thinking them up as I type:
Faith-less Energy Acting Proud
Future Entanglements Affecting (the) Present
Failure Exorcising Actual Possibilities
I could go on all day and get better at this, but that would miss the point: FEAR is useful only in three areas:
1) To protect us in emergencies when we need flight or fight responses.
2) To create a sense of awe, reverence, and worship in us for God so that we can be delivered from all other fears.
3) To remind us not to be stupid and take unnecessary risks with no hope of reward just to show off or make a silly point - and that is not so much fear as #2.
Fear was never meant to be an operating principle in our life with regard to the circumstances and challenges we encounter on a daily basis. Nor is it to be a steady and constant nagging in our lives, relationships, and planning.
Faith is the antithesis of fear and the resting place for our emotions and decisions.
Fight faith with fear.
Feed your faith.
Starve your fears.
Whichever one you feed will grow.
The other will diminish.
Your choice.
Starving Fear
There are some simple strategies for starving fear. I will not try to articulate them all here, but I will offer a few.
1) Choose not to dwell on them, read about them, listen to media that validates them.
2) Do not present them in conversation to someone who will advise you to live by them. You normally know the kind of advice you will get from the various people in your life and you often choose who to ask for advice based upon what you think you will hear. Admit it. Get better advice.
3) Replace fear thoughts with faith thoughts.
4) Do the things necessary to feed faith.
5) Face something you fear. Make a list of things you are afraid to conquer and take one at a time. Do what terrifies you and move the fear notation to the faith-victory column.
6) Pray.
7) Enlist a support partner/cheerleader.
What fear will you start starving today?
Let me know if you want me to pray with/for you about that. I WILL!
Feeding Faith
Feeding faith is a proactive and energy rich pursuit and yet, it is a whole lot easier than starving fear because its rewards are so obvious and immediate.
When I talk about feeding faith, I am also referring to your dreams because they are visualizations of which your faith informs you and which require faith to bring to pass.
This is just a starter for you.
1) Feed your faith with truth. If fear is false evidence appearing real and, if faith is the antithesis of fear, then faith must be truth. Feed faith truth and watch faith grow.
2) Feed faith energy. In the same way that you take vitamins and good energy enriched vegetables into your bodies, take faith pills, charged with positive energy. You do that by acting in faith daily. What comes out of you, comes back to you. It charges you.
3) Feed your faith with contact. Visit your dreams often in your mind and in person. Touch things that remind you of your dreams.
4) Feed your faith with excellent input - good books, including the Bible, positive audio and video, good conversation with positive people, and faith/dream-building functions and workshops.
5) Spend time with your support team if you are involved with network marketing. Call your upline every day.
6) Do something every day that is goal oriented.
7) Get adequate rest, nutrition, exercise, and family time. Do not allow yourself to get depressed by "wearing yourself out to get rich." balance your life, renew your energy, and stay fit for faith.
8) Turn on the lights and open the blinds. Dark rooms are depressing and discouraging.
9) Call someone and encourage them today. If you are a network marketer, call your downline.
10) Pray.
11) Smile and accept inconveniences and adversity with cheer. Find some lemon today that you can turn to lemonade.
12) Write something positive. Perhaps you could write a note to a friend to say, "You can do it!"
I'll quit for now, but know this, I always have more to say ...
What will you do right now to fed faith, not just today TIGHT NOW?
Let me know if you want me to pray with/for you about that. I WILL!
My Friends Advised Me
While we are at the feeding trough, feeding our faith/dreams and starving our fears, I have one itty bitty little concern. It is wrapped up in a recurring phrase I hear after people go away to "think about it," whatever "IT" might be at the moment.
They come back and say, "I talked to my friends and THEY advised me ..."
What follows is usually something negative or fear-feeding, any sort of support for not launching out in faith, dreaming a new dream, or making oneself vulnerable to failure or exposure.
I have no doubt that your friends, perhaps good friends and family have advised you to play it safe. That is there job, as they perceive it, to steal your dreams - AND YOU KNOW IT.
You knew it when you CHOSE THEM to ask for advise.
The question is back on you when presented with an opportunity. All things being equal, are you willing to stretch and expose yourself, risk failure, grow, try something new, and become more than you are in order to embrace a credible, honest, and powerful opportunity? If so, seek advice from winners. If not, seek out people who will feed your fears.
I hate to be blunt, but I will do it anyway < :) >
I believe in you.
What If I Fail?
Here is another question:
"What if I fail?"
What if you do?
It is not a matter if you will fail trying or not; it is more at what, how often, when, and what you you do with the failure.
You will fail by not trying, you just won't know about it or learn from those failures - but you will have the same results otherwise.
But learning is a very big deal and knowing what does not work for you is priceless and these are lessons that are never learned without risky action.
I hope you do fail. As John Maxwell says, "Fail early, fail often; and fail forward."
Let each failure be a springboard toward future success.
You'll have to swallow pride and love of safety. You'll have to risk looking silly and exposed. You'll ha e to work a little harder than most people, dream bigger dreams, and develop a thicker skin, but you will be a more fulfilled and purposeful person.
People who never fail are simply failures.
People who risk, fail, learn, and grow are never failures. For them, as Maxwell says, failure is simply an event.
If your excuse for not attempting an adventure is that there is no guarantee for success, then understand that is a lousy excuse. it is your prerogative to use it, but don't try to convince me that it is a good one.
Nothing is guaranteed except the Word of God and His eternal grace and presence. Frankly, that is all I need. The rest is a grand adventure.
Are you on it with me?
I would love to share it with you.
What say you?
RIPE-O with TYPOS
I write fast and furious and make a lot of mistakes, but I post them anyway and discover them later.
I have been online actively since 1992 and I have learned that my tuping ees somtims incerrect and that my speeklink cen be atroshious.
I correct mistake as I see them, but I try not to let the fear of them cripple me or keep me from saying what needs to be said, what is bubbling up within me.
THIS IS A METAPHOR for life.
Then Tom, what is the Meta For?
It is for YOU!
Don't be so uptight about making mistakes.
Funny I should say, "upTIGHT" because a few posts ago, I typed, "TIGHT NOW" when I meant to type, "RIGHT NOW."
I could go back and correct it and I am fixing it in my blogs, but I have decided to leave it to illustrate my point.
go ahead and risk making mistakes. Make them blatant so that they can be corrected. I learned this in the study of music in voice lessons and ensemble study. My teachers, who had both studied with Dr. Williamson at Westminster Choir College said, "If you are going to make a mistake, make a good one so we can fix it."
What are we afraid of?
Not being perfect?
Being corrected?
Looking foolish?
That is an outstanding recipe for a lifetime of big "F" failure rather than for for success built upon little "f" failures.
Do not be afraid of imperfection, criticism, or correction. Starve that fear and move on to faith and dreaming.
Put it out there. Put yourself out there and GROW!!!!!
My stuff is RIPE-O with TYOE-Os.
Come join me.
I am your pastor, encourager, friend, and coach ...
- Tom Sims The DREAM FACTORY - PastorTomSims.Com
My primary network marketing commitment is Pre Paid Legal. it would be an honor to help you build a Pre Paid Legal business. To find out more, visit this site: Getting Paid Daily