What is fear? Why does fear exist? My definition of fear is anything that raises our anxiety and impedes us from performing at our optimal level. Many people would disagree with my definition, recognizing fear as anything that raises our anxiety minus an attachment of performance. However, I label their declaration as life, and a corollary response the bliss of life, meaning that fear is the initiation process to our greatest adventures or successes during our existence. Now, I know some smart ass might be reading this and cogitating over the thought of what if someone is killing you; I bet bliss is not on the other side of that fear.

I would provide two replies to that hypothetical statement: One, we all have a guaranteed expiration date and two, our so-called death might be more blissful than living the only existence we know. Notice, we have never found one person fighting to comeback and to relive our finite experience of life. Now that we addressed the silliness of some subconscious thought to hold on to the idea of fear, let me elaborate on the blissful adventure that awaits the typical fears we face on a day-to-day basis. For example, will I get a job or make enough money?; Will I ever get married?; Will I be a successful being?; and Should I take this risk? I want us to recognize that all these questions focus on the future expectations (self-created sufferings).

We do not know the answers to these questions; we will never know the answers to these questions; and we should not care to know the answers to these questions. These questions have a common pattern of dragging us out of the realm of NOW. Many of us fail to understand that the NOW is the only time that matters and the time that will ever matter, not the past and not the so-called future. For example, when I faced my greatest fear of heights, I met it by jumping out of a perfectly fine plane at 14,000 feet. I faced my two fears: my fear of precipitous heights and my fear of possible death. I traded those two fears for the gift of trusting people and the gift of taking more risks. I only received these new gifts when I decided to let go of my old manmade fears that no longer served a purpose in my life.

Note, I could not receive a handful of trust and a handful of risks as long as my hands were occupied with my fears. I had to let go and let life happen, so I let go and accepted a possible fate of death and received a pleasant and unexplainable peace that transcended my concept of living. I lifted my arms and stayed in this peace until the cord was pulled that released my parachute. Then, the safety of my parachute halted my fear and injected me with a new fear of I cannot believe I jumped out of the plane. I hated the safest part of the adventure, but I loved the riskiest part. I hope you realize my experience is what we experience in our lives every day. We get bored with our comfy or safe careers when the universe calls us to seek a new adventure of starting a business or of pursuing a high-risk endeavor.

However, we are filled with an unspeakable joy when we jump and land safely with a joyous business or high-risk endeavor that leads us to nirvana, heaven, or bliss. We must remember that joy awaits the risk-taker; the one who is willing to seek the call to adventure, to face our fears, and to return to our unlimited potential. Dr. Wayne Dyer stated that “F.E.A.R. is fake evidence appearing real.” I charge all of you to turn your fears to your personal bliss points.

1. What are your fears?
2. How are your fears holding you back from your true potential?
3. What could be the perceived benefits of you jumping off and taking risks?
4. How can you cope with your existence if you live to become 100 and you never jumped?