Are you living in fear? Are you letting fear lead your life?

Listen on the Podcast:

You know what? You are not in complete control your life…no matter how hard you try. Many things will happen around you. Things that YOU did not initiate. Things out of your control. Things that you hate and wish were different.

I know you knew this already. I just needed to remind you. Because it's important to remember that sometimes things happen…that you can't control.

So, let me ask you this question. If you are NOT in control…why are you letting fear over take you? Why are you letting fear be the boss?

Why are you letting fear be in control?

Life is full of uncertainty. Surprises. Pandemics. But, it is also full of opportunity. Surprises. Joy.

And when you are focused on what you can not control, when you are letting fear lead your life, you are missing ALL of that opportunity. You are missing, and leaving behind, all of the happiness and joy of living an abundant life.

Now, joy is a choice to make. You choose to not let those pesky circumstances of life be the boss of you. When you let fear be the boss…you are choosing those circumstances instead of joy.

Because circumstances and joy run parallel to each other.

Alongside the joy there are choices to regret, personal decisions and failures to overcome, mistakes to sit with, embarrassments and unpredictable disasters to get through.

And, guess what? This is the world that we live in. The great big messy one. The world with hurt, doubt, and fear.

But, in the midst of all of that, you forget who you really are. You forget that you have unique gifts. You forget that you are strong. You forget all about your inner beauty. You forget that you are an overcomer.

And so you spend your days avoiding fear. Or you spend your days living in fear.

You run around and stay really busy so you don't have to think too much about anything. Because when you think…the fear sets in and takes over. As a result, ALL of your energy is tied up in avoidance.

Or, you curl in a ball and can't move. Sometimes that is physically and sometimes mentally. Fear has its hands around your throat and you are afraid to move…in case it chokes the life out of you.

There are many different types of fear.

• Fear of failure
• Fear of the unknown
• Fear of decisions
• Fear of spending money
• Fear of being wrong
• Fear of launching something
• Fear of rejection
• Fear of public speaking
• Fear of parenthood
• Fear of getting married
• Fear of going broke
• PLUS all of the phobias/fear

When you let fear lead you are missing out on the opportunity for happiness.

Missing the joy. You are allowing that fear to get in YOUR way of living a joyful life. You are allowing that fear to get in the way of you living a rich, full and abundant life.

So, it's time to take action.

You don't need to avoid fear. You don't need to cower in fear.

What CAN you do? You can learn how to deal with all of the triggers. The mental and physical triggers. These triggers are joy stealers. Because anything that points you in the opposite direction of joy…is a joy stealer.

How?

Think of your fear. Now analyze it. What is the worst case scenario? Got it? Ok, now break it down a bit more. Is that fear in your control or not?

If it's in your control take action. Fix it. Change it. Move it. Delete it. But don't leave it as it is. Yes, it takes courage to do any of those things. It takes courage to make a change. It takes courage to eliminate something from your life.

I know this about you…you can stand alone. You can change your vision. You can leave the relationship, quit smoking, or sell it.

You can begin again.

As Morgan Harper Nichols says:

‘You do not have to be fearless.
Doing it afraid is just as brave.

The challenge of starting over is that we are not always ready to. Sometimes we can look and wonder if life will be easier if things could just stay the same.

But as sure as the sun shines, eventually, we find: a new day will call you to wake up before you feel like you are ready. And it is in that space where we start to practice courage. We start to realize that even when we were not ready for change, we could breathe deeply and rise up anyway.'

Don't let fear, uncertainty, and doubt have the last word.

Because, wouldn't you rather act with courage than live in fear?

What if the fear is not in your control?

And, this is where it can get hard….this type of fear is NOT from God. This type of fear can be crippling because you so want to fix it, change it, move it, delete it. And you can't.

What do you do then? You need to take a deep breath, pray pray pray, and then accept the outcome. An outcome that is out of your control.

Easier said than done, right? But you can do it. Get moving. Do something different. Journal your fears. Do something for you – take a bath, meditate, pray. Change your surroundings.

Step outside of your self. Practice kindness, volunteer, take care of a friend or neighbor. Bake cookies for the hospital staff. Baby sit for a young couple so they can go out.

Take action. And in that action you will find the you that has been covered up. You discover the you that has the courage to do what is necessary so that you can live your one and only life in victory.

It is a battle for your soul. And you CAN win. You belong to you. And not to fear.

You may want to read ‘Prayers for Fear, Anxiety, and Stress.' FREE Prayer card download included.

So, how about kicking fear to the curb forever? How about NOT letting fear lead your life?

Are you ready? 1-2-3…GO.

And sometimes when fear sets in you become overwhelmed and then the stress sets in, right?

And when stress sets in it is sometimes difficult to be happy or joyful. So, don’t let stress have the last word! 

Go on and take a look at the ‘Top 5 Stress Reducers’ (Action Plan included). So that you can eliminate what causes you stress and get on the path of living a joyful life.

What is Joyful Living all about?

Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help! 

To begin, go ahead and read:

• What is Joyful Living?
• 5 Simple Steps to Choosing Joy
• Finding Joy in All Things
• What Does God Say About Joy?
• Difference Between Happiness and Joy

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