Don’t Let Fear Stop You from Living on Purpose

Fear is a powerful emotion, so powerful that it can topple any Live on Purpose (LOP) Superhero. Is fear keeping you from being an LOP Superhero? (See my previous blog where I discuss LOP Superheroes.) However, as debilitating as it can be, you must not let fear stop you from living of purpose.

Allowing fear to be a major emotion in your life, can have far reaching consequences. You may intellectually know your purpose, you may even have the vision clearly in mind, but fear can override and block you from living that purposeful life you so clearly see. Even worse, the fear may simply be living your purposeful life. That fear can manifest itself in many ways, but  underlying living on purpose is the fear of success and/or the fear of failure. In fact, fear is often masked as extreme perfectionism, hesitation, aimless business, or procrastination. More specifically, it may show up as fear of public speaking, shyness or any myriad of other phobias. Fear is most of all, about being stuck – you’re all decked out as an LOP Superhero, but you can’t get off the ground; you’re getting nowhere.

You must surrender your fear and take the leap into living an energetic life, passionately pursuing your goals and honoring your talents. When you are able to let go of your fear, you are able to continue to grow. Look inward at the child you once were and rediscover the fearlessness you had when you really thought you could either leap tall buildings or at least invent a way to do it, or actually build that building. Nothing stood in your way until someone told you that you couldn’t do it, told you how daring that was and how fearful, instead of telling you how fierce of you to think you could do it.

Only you can change your attitude about fear, but here are a few suggestions to help you along the way to kicking fear to the curb and getting on with being a LOP Superhero:

1. Recognize when you are stagnant, stalled and not living your life on purpose because of some fear attached to your life.
2. Understand that you must have a vision, one that makes sense and that allows you to acknowledge and use your talents.
3. Know that living on purpose really takes a leap of faith; sometimes it’s as easy as breathing, but at other times there may be huge challenges to overcome. In Hebrew 11:3 we see that “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we see now did not come from anything that can be seen.” Remember in Romans 5:3 we are told, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”
4. Be still, listen and surrender to God’s message always, but especially when the challenges arise and you are tempted to give in to fear. Read what is written in Proverbs 8:33, “Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it.”
5. Embrace each day confidently and passionately.
6. Include reading as a part your daily agenda or to do list. Never stop learning.
7. Accept that you may not be able to do this alone. Nearly everyone, even the most successful people around us, has someone they can turn to. However, you must be sure you are looking for assistance from the right sources. The right coach, teacher, mentor, minister or guru can make a difference.

Start to live on the other side of fear(s). Everything will look different. A transformation takes place when you recognize and proceed to conquer your fears; when you set the LOP Superhero free. Your mission?  You are to grab your cape, don that mantle of clarity, dump fear and embrace living on purpose.

Don’t miss my daily messages. Tell a friend. You never know who might need to hear these words.

If you want to learn more of how you can live your life on purpose, fearlessly, contact me at 205.225.9757.  I invite you to tune in to my Periscope talks.  You can also listen to me on WJPMJ radio. Download the app or simply listen online here: bitly/wjpmjradio.

Dr. Sims