The Force of Faith vs. The Force of Fear

I’m going to use the word faith, but not in a religious way. The essence of being human involves a lot science can’t explain yet. I have faith in science and technology to ultimately deliver answers, but until it does some of what happens in life is kind of mystical.

I believe faith is a soul force that focuses energy on something desired. What is soul? Soul is mind + will + emotions. Faith is the power a person uses to bring positive things from hope to reality.

I believe fear is the exact opposite force. With faith we focus energy toward bringing positive things into our lives and with fear we focus energy that brings negative things into our lives. Fear is hardly a factor for people who win in life. Then for bunches of people, fear keeps them in jobs they hate while dreams get stuck on the back burner. For other people, fear is dangerously crippling to the point they panic at the thought of just going outside.

Paula Deen is one of my favorite TV personalities. She loves butter and bacon and she doesn’t give a damn that Barbara Walters thinks it’s disgusting. She’s bigger than life and has an infectious joy that I choose to believe is the purpose of life.

When Paula Deen was 40 years old, she was so full of fear that she rarely left her house. When she went out, she had massive panic attacks. She had irrational fears. She sincerely feared she would die if she left her house. Her fear started when her parents died and grew out of mourning the loss. At the age of forty, she confronted her fear and started taking What About Bob style Baby Steps. She would leave the house, walk two blocks and then walk back home. She’d drive a little ways and then drive back. Over time she overcame fear that was destroying her life.

She lived 20 years with an irrational fear, and you know what? I doesn’t matter that the fear might have been silly. It kept her from realizing her potential. Maybe the world doesn’t need Paula Deen entertaining the world with her butter love, but I’m sure as hell glad she got out of her house and started living life in an amazing way.

One of my fears that I don’t want to be on camera. I don’t think I’m pretty enough to be on camera and I think I sound funny when I talk. In the last year, I worked out show plans for 20 new Internet TV shows and brands. I don’t have the capital to pay for someone else to be on camera, and I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere where finding talent would be difficult anyway. I’ve got great gear, though!

Setting fear aside, I turned on the lights, cameras and microphone and put my butt on camera last week. I still don’t think I’m pretty enough to be on camera and I still hate the way I sound, but I think I did okay! I’m going to do it more and I’m going to get better at it and grow more comfortable doing it. I have faith that I can do well enough on camera to move my dreams forward again. I may turn out to be great on camera or I may just move myself forward enough to hire someone. It’s the Climb.

Pretending the Mayans are right about 2012 being our last year means you and I don’t have time for fear. We’ve got stuff to do! I don’t know about you, but I want my last year to be filled with fun, not fear.