5 Truths about fear that will help you overcome it and experience more light in your life.

Of all I was afraid of as a child the worst was my fear of the dark. Thank goodness that fear has an easy solution. Just flick the light switch on.  I guess that would work if you assumed that said person with a terrible fear of the dark lived in a house WITH electricity.  So much for that.

What is even weirder than living in a home with no electricity in the 1980s,  is that my father was an electrician by trade.  Go figure.  

For several years our only source of light when the sun snuck away was a couple gas lanterns. At least they didn’t run out of fuel too often because they confidently sat atop tall skinny propane tanks to show off their light.  

I thought we were moving up into the modern world when my dad wired our house and bought a generator. We were only allowed to turn it on for a couple hours each morning and night. It would have been extra nice if he had also installed a switch we could flip in the house to turn the generator on.  That would have saved me many a heart pounding fearful morning.

For most my growing up years I was the one who got up at 5am to make the dreaded journey to turn on the generator. If you have read this post then you already understand why I was willing to take on this noble task. Here is the short story. With one bathroom and 15 family members,  if I wanted a warm shower I had to get up at 5am.  I guess I wasn’t being so noble after all, I was just trying to stay warm.

The generator sat just inside an old silver work van that we used as a shed.  It housed many odds and ends including zombies, trolls, witches, and any variety of monster my mind could imagine.  Totally true.  To get to the zombie van/shed I had to walk out the front door, around the side of the house, and a bit out into the field. It was a very long walk run when it was dark out. 

To turn the generator on I had to reach into the darkness of the shed from what used to be the drivers side door.  It was a very brave quest indeed because I was sure at any moment the zombie living in the shed would grab my arm and pull me in.  No, we didn’t have TV or “The Walking Dead” so I didn’t know zombies actually move kinda slow and I was probably safe.

The most terrible part of it all was that I couldn’t just push the button then bolt. No, I had to push the button down and hold it until the groggy generator decided to wake up. While it took its sweet time the zombie had an even longer window to make its attack.  To make matters worse, once the generator sounded its loud grumpy protest how was I to discern between the growls of monsters and the sound of the generator?  

As soon as I knew I could let go of the button you better believe I high tailed it out of there. I didn’t even look back to see how close the zombie was to tackling me.

I ran through the front door every morning and slammed it behind me grateful to be in a house now flooded with light. 

30 years later I’m sorry to say I am still afraid of the dark.  But it is a different kind of dark than the one I feared as a child.  At least I’m not alone because I think most adults have the same fear. 

Do you fear the unknown?  Do you wish you could see clearly everything ahead of you and know that you were making the right choice, that you weren’t going to fail?  Have you ever been afraid of what will happen if you do or if you don’t do something?  Is there something you feel you should do but you haven’t because you are fearful of how it will turn out?   

P. S. Anyone who says no to all theses questions is as unreal as my zombie. 

Here’s 5 things to understand about fear of the “dark” to overcome it.

1. Fear of the “dark”  is always unfounded. 

Unless you KNOW there is a hungry monster in the dark, then maybe it is founded, but let’s pretend there isn’t.  I’m happy to report that in all my years of facing the dark NOT ONCE were any of my fears proven valid.  Not once did the zombie ever move fast enough to grab my arm.  Every single fear only existed in one place, my mind. Think of all the energy that was wasted in pointless worry not to mention the energy it took to sprint away from NOTHING but my own imagination. 

You know the acronym for F.E.A.R. right?  False Evidence Appearing Real.  I didn’t come up with that. But whoever did got it right. Let’s stop the worry and wonder together and be willing to take the first step into the dark.

2. Fear only gives more power to the adversary.

If the Savior wants us to live in faith and joy, you bet satan wants us to live in fear and despair.  He uses fear to keep us stuck. He’ll do anything he can to keep us from finding our purpose and reaching our potential. Tricking us into fearing something that doesn’t exist is one of his favorite tactics and I bet he has a good laugh every time we fall for it. Don’t give him that power anymore! Take that power back by living in faith and joy.

3. Fear can be a helpful guide.  

This is best explained by this quote:

“The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”

“The more scared we are of a work or calling the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

War of Art by Steven Pressfield

What are you fearing in your life right now? It’s time to go for it!

4. The only way to overcome fear is to step into it and prove it wrong.

Overtime and after I realized nothing was going to grab me I willed myself to stop focusing on my fears. It was a big deal to me when I was able to stop running away from nothing. Admittedly, I could only calmly walk in the dark if I was singing my favorite church song “I Am A Child Of God”  over and over again. But isn’t that how we walk calmly through any unknown? We can do it when we focus on and trust in Christ. 

5. Facing the dark always leads to light.

This was my favorite part then and it is my favorite part now.  No matter how dark the night was. No matter how big my fears were. The result of facing my fear was always LIGHT.  Back then it was actual light, now it is light, knowledge, faith in The Light of The World.   Every time you are willing to face the unknown with faith it will end with more and more light. Brighter and brighter until the perfect day. 

That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

D&C 50:24

So kick fear to the curb. Fulfill the measure of your creation and…

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

What light will you give to the world? What fear will you overcome so you can give it? I had a ridiculous amount of ridiculous fears in starting this blog. I feared rejection. I was afraid I was wasting my time. I was afraid of sharing my faith and the criticism I might receive. I was afraid of walking away from a successful business to focus on something I had no idea would be of any value to anyone. I was afraid of the technical problems I might face.

I still fear but as I keep going fear gets smaller and smaller. There is still a lot I can’t see and sometimes it feels like when one fear leaves a new one takes its place. I just keep reminding myself of the experiences I had that left me with no doubt that this is what the Lord wanted me to do. And so I take a deep breath and calmly walk.

Good news! There aren’t any amount of zombies, trolls, or witches that can stop you from creating and giving your light because you are strong (and because they aren’t real but that’s beside the point).

Here IS the point:

“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got. “

War of Art -Steven Pressfield

Last week I talked about what to do if you feel stuck in a rut and over the next couple weeks I’ll be giving some more insights to help you find and brighten your light so check back in!

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