That 4-letter F-word...

I've been thinking a lot lately about this emotion we call fear.  I'm currently struggling with some huge fears in both my climbing and personal life.  Fear is debilitating.  It sucks.  It prevents you from progressing, reaching your full potential & achieving happiness.  Have you ever experienced "Elvis leg" while climbing?  You have fear to thank for that.  So, how do I overcome my fears?  Well, I decided to first research exactly "what is fear?"  The best quote that I came across during a Google search said that "at the heart of all fear is losing something".  I'm going to repeat that because I don't think you fully digested it... This time, read each word and digest it before reading on... At the heart of all fear is losing something.  This struck a chord deep inside of me & felt like the key that I've been looking for to unlock that closed door.

To further simplify this quote - we fear loss.  Whether rational or not, loss is at the heart of all fear.  It's such a simple explanation for what feels like such a complex emotion.  Is it that simple?  And does it really explain all fear?  In order to put this quote to the test, I had to create a list of all of the "things" that can be lost in life: health, love, friendship, purpose, independence, happiness, possessions, control, status... what else am I missing?  Well, a lot I'm sure. But, so far this quote seems to be pretty accurate.  In one way or another, I've experienced loss in everything I've listed above.  Do I regret the losses that I've experienced?  Absolutely not.  I believe there is a deeper level of gratitude that can only be reached through experiencing loss.  Do I fear experiencing these losses again?  Absolutely.  Are my fears rational?  Probably not.

So, if I now understand what fear is & know exactly what I'm afraid of, how do I take the next steps to conquer those fears?  Well, this is sort of like the over-weight person who knows what the solution to their problem is - eat less/exercise more - but needs to dig down deep and find the strength and motivation to actually do it.  I just need some balls is what it comes down to.  I need to face my fears head-on to either prove them false or absorb their actual impact - not their feared impact.  I constantly catch myself thinking "what's the worst that could happen if I do this?" when I should be thinking "what's the worst that could happen if I don't do this?".  For me, the consequences of inaction are worse than the consequences of action.