| These days, many people feel they have reasons to | | | | cliff, you could focus upon the dirt and rocks falling |
| fear. They may worry that they will lose their job, | | | | and your toes at the edge of the solid ground, all of |
| their home or their life?s savings. Other people worry | | | | which bring up your feelings of being vulnerable and |
| about their health and safety. Their worry may turn | | | | exposed to danger, or you could focus on the same |
| into fear, and fear soon can become terror. | | | | thing you focused on as you came up the trail?the |
| Any degree of fear, however, stops us from | | | | fabulous, awe inspiring spectacle of nature and God?s |
| reaching our full human potential. It keep us stuck in | | | | handiwork. Instead of fear, you would feel awe. |
| place, unable to move forward to achieve our goals. | | | | In this way you get back to awe not by physically |
| Plus, our fearful thoughts only create more reasons | | | | stepping backward and away from that which causes |
| to have fear. However, learning to move through our | | | | you fear or terror. You simply back up your thoughts |
| fear, or to deal with it in a positive manner, allows us | | | | and emotions to the place where you felt awe, to |
| to achieve a new level of personal growth. In this | | | | the place where you experienced the thrill of life. You |
| way, we can, indeed, live our lives fully. | | | | change your emotions by changing your thoughts and |
| One way to remove fear from our lives, or at least | | | | where you place the focus of your attention. |
| to lesson its impact, involves looking at it differently. | | | | Or you can focus upon the fact that you actually are |
| In fact, terror and awe represent opposite extremes | | | | standing at the edge and are safe. Be in the moment. |
| of the same spectrum. Thus, we can find awe even | | | | Allow yourself to feel the exhilaration of standing on |
| in our terror. | | | | the edge of a cliff and knowing all is well. Allow |
| To understand this spectrum and how it might help | | | | yourself to see the miracle in that moment, in the |
| reduce fear, let?s first look at the definitions of | | | | fact that you are safe on the edge of the cliff. Make |
| terror and awe. Terror constitutes intense fear or | | | | a choice about how you will feel in the moment, how |
| anxiety. This is not simple worry but full blown, | | | | you will perceive the experience. Be in the ?now.? |
| overriding fear. Awe, on the other hand, can include | | | | You also can picture awe and fear as if they exist on |
| an overwhelming feeling of reverence or | | | | opposite ends of a bridge and find a way to walk |
| admiration?or the power to inspire these feelings, but | | | | across the bridge from one end to the other, your |
| it also can include fear or the power to inspire fear. | | | | goal being to find a place along that particular bridge |
| So, for example, you can feel awe or fear of God. | | | | that feels positive and comfortable. Hopefully, you will |
| In Hebrew, the word for awe, fear and terror are | | | | discover that as you walk along the bridge you end |
| the same??yirah.? The reason for this comes from | | | | up at the opposite end of the spectrum. In other |
| the fact that they exist in different places on the | | | | words, if previously you stood on the ?fear side? of |
| same spectrum of emotion. To understand how this | | | | the bridge, you now stand at the ?awe? side. Any |
| works, imagine yourself feeling awe at arriving at the | | | | other thoughts or feelings that go with your sense |
| top of a mountain and seeing the gorgeous | | | | of fear can be used in this exercise. For instance, you |
| panoramic view, then moving closer to the edge of | | | | can walk from the ?fear side? to the ?courage? or |
| the cliff and feeling fear, and moving even closer, so | | | | ?safety? side. If you felt ?insecure? before, you may |
| close that your toes almost hang over and rocks | | | | now stand on the side of ?security.? Accomplish this |
| tumble off the edge, and you feel terror about | | | | by taking small steps?actual physical actions?that help |
| possibly falling. | | | | your traverse the mental bridge as well as actually |
| If you can take your terror and physically step | | | | move through your fear. Also do so by making |
| backward to fear and then backward again to awe, | | | | choices about where you place your focus (on fear, |
| you find yourself seeing the miracle of life once again. | | | | awe or safety). |
| You find yourself feeling wonder and exhilaration at | | | | If you remain conscious, you can choose fear or awe |
| the miracles around you; you feel awe for God?s | | | | in any moment. By so doing, you can dictate if you |
| presence in all that exists. Thus, you experience both | | | | are able to move forward freely and courageously |
| ends of the emotional spectrum of fear?terror and | | | | towards your goals. If you do so, you will find that |
| awe. | | | | you are living your life more fully and achieving your |
| Simply changing your focus accomplishes this as well. | | | | full human potential. |
| If you were still standing at the very edge of the | | | | |