My fears are my biggest motivation.
I really don't have any fears, that's the lie I tell whenever I went for an interview during my job hunting days. Fears are been handled like a taboo, they relate it as something you shouldn't have. Interviewers feel like you are perfect when you tell them you don't have fears, the real questions should be what are your fears, and how do you intend to tackle them?
This would make the interviewee feel at ease to open up but that's not the case. Having fear doesn't make me incapable, they are just things I put into consideration when I want to take any step in life.
Is there a man without fear?
There is no human without fears but the major issue I see about human fear is that people see it as a personal weakness meanwhile, it shouldn't be so. Our weakness should be a strength to us, it should be the reason why we don't want those fears to take us down.
My fears should be an inspiration, being scared of poverty should make me want to achieve greatness. It should motivate me to work hard and get the best results out of life, being scared of sickness should inspire me to do the things that would make me stay healthy.
It is weird to refer to something as your fear and you aren't doing anything to prevent it from happening, that's not fear. If you are scared of the dark, shouldn't you go around with light in case it falls dark suddenly?
I have many fears in life, my background created lots of fear for me when I was growing up, and more keep showing up while growing at every stage in life.
The fear of the future:
The ability to see through to the future would have made life so easy for everyone, the uncertainty about the future is a big fear for me and almost everyone even though we keep comforting ourselves that tomorrow will be great. It is unpredictable and in it resides all other fears we have as humans.
The fear of marrying the wrong person in life is about the future, the fear of succeeding is about the future, and every human fear has to do with what will happen next?
The fear of making mistakes.
This used to be one of my fears because I am more of a theoretical person than a practical type, I am always scared of making mistakes in life.
I grew to understand that mistakes are part of life and they are inevitable but that doesn't take away my fear. Instead of allowing the fear to get the best of me, I put a lot of effort into limiting my mistakes and there are times I make more mistakes for trying to reduce my mistake.
The fear of what people will think about me, the fear of falling below people's expectations comes with the fear of making mistakes for me even though I teach my mind to admit to mistakes when they happen. Are mistakes even evitable?
The fear of not fulfilling my dreams
This is my biggest fear, I am a big dreamer with hundreds of dreams and it would be a terrible thing not to be able to fulfill them. It use to be about me wanting to do this and that but at a point, it became will I be able to do this and that? I didn't just start doubting myself but a lot of personal and social factors have given birth to those fears.
I am not expecting everything to come to reality but achieving the majority of them would make me feel fulfilled in life. These dreams aren't just personal dreams, it involves a lot of people who don't even know about them. My dreams include my parents, siblings, friends, wife, children, and business, it is a long list and this should tell you how huge my dream this and the fears that come with it as well.
Fear of not living as long as I wish.
This is beyond my power, some fears aren't things we have control over and we can just hope for the best. Despite not being sure of how long we will live, we all have to walk on the path that will guarantee us good health.
This fear came up when I had a worn-out muscles a few years ago, a healthy guy like me had to go around with a strap to hold my thigh muscles together just to talk 10 steps.
The treatment led to the doctor discovering that I had high blood pressure, it is a hereditary thing and it became a fear for me. It mandated me to watch what I eat, rest when necessary, and seek medical attention once I notice anything usual in my body system.
I have been living in fear since then, I need to live as long as possible to fulfill every bit of my dreams in life and also remain healthy to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
The fear of not making heaven.
I am a sinner and I go around committing sins unknowingly, I seek forgiveness always but there are times I get scared about it. What if my sins are too big? What if repeating one sin continuously will make me lose heaven?
It is hard to live in Nigeria and not commit sins, please signify if you aren't a sinner. If you refuse to, you will be forced
Fear of losing my loved ones.
This is beyond my control, I always pray not to lose anyone. My mom and siblings have been through a lot, they deserve to enjoy life to the fullest as well.
I wish to take my mom around the world to enjoy her hard work, the fear of not fulfilling that is a strong one and I pray not to lose her when it is time to stretch, relax and eat the fruit of her labor.
I mentioned earlier that our fears should only inspire us to do what's right, I am working on every area of my life that has to do with my fears.
Converting those fears into strength is what matters, never make the world make you feel like you are the worse person in the world for having your fears. It's normal, let it drive you to success in life.
The fact that a person has fears does not make him weak. on the contrary, being aware of this and acting accordingly forces him to make strong decisions.