True fearlessness derives from tenderness.
Its not a head thing. Its a heart thing.
Lean into the wind. Take a risk.
You may topple over and scrape yourself. You may not.
Either way, you gain knowledge of yourself once lost in a secret undiscovered pocket.
You will soften.
You will let go of the fear.
Trust your emotional intelligence as much as you trust your intellect.
For this is where we learn to accept fear as a friend and not a foe.
From the softness of our hearts, not from the hard wiring of our brain comes the discovery of why we harbour anxiety, depression, anger and restlessness.
If we look beyond the surface of our behaviour/our reactions to what is happening in our lives........beyond the head summaries equipped with rationalization, denial, avoidance......tired coping mechanisms, we find the courage to ask WHY.
When we ask why, we face down our fears.
Lean into the wind. Take a risk.
If you're never open to asking why? You will continue to stoke the fires of your own misery.
A friend told me a story this week about her first foray rock climbing. She didn't start on a beginner's rock face. Rather, she jumped right into the adventure and took on a steep challenge. She was ready to take it on, unwilling to be defined by her self imposed phobia.
All her life, she has been afraid of heights. She spoke of how she could never climb the metal ladder in her cousin's barn to get up to the hay loft because she would freeze halfway up....caught in her head anxieties. Determined to overcome this, she accepted an invitation to go out into the world of rock climbing with a friend who was an expert, who she trusted She never told how fearful she was. He had no idea.
Initially, she made it up 20 feet and froze.........her lifelong terror gripped her and for a few moments, she almost gave up. But something inside her softened. She allowed her heart to lead more than her anxious head, and she found her footing.
Halfway up, my friend lost her footing, fell off the face of the hill and dangled in the safety harness. High above ground, she looked around and realized she could trust the gear, trust the process. It was after she toppled over, and dangled in mid air for a bit that she found her real footing. Her fear evaporated right in the middle of a mistake.
She transformed into a warrior rock climber that day, ready to take a new risk....
Its not a head thing. Its a heart thing.
Lean into the wind. Take a risk.
You may topple over and scrape yourself. You may not.
Either way, you gain knowledge of yourself once lost in a secret undiscovered pocket.
You will soften.
You will let go of the fear.
Trust your emotional intelligence as much as you trust your intellect.
For this is where we learn to accept fear as a friend and not a foe.
From the softness of our hearts, not from the hard wiring of our brain comes the discovery of why we harbour anxiety, depression, anger and restlessness.
If we look beyond the surface of our behaviour/our reactions to what is happening in our lives........beyond the head summaries equipped with rationalization, denial, avoidance......tired coping mechanisms, we find the courage to ask WHY.
When we ask why, we face down our fears.
Lean into the wind. Take a risk.
If you're never open to asking why? You will continue to stoke the fires of your own misery.
A friend told me a story this week about her first foray rock climbing. She didn't start on a beginner's rock face. Rather, she jumped right into the adventure and took on a steep challenge. She was ready to take it on, unwilling to be defined by her self imposed phobia.
All her life, she has been afraid of heights. She spoke of how she could never climb the metal ladder in her cousin's barn to get up to the hay loft because she would freeze halfway up....caught in her head anxieties. Determined to overcome this, she accepted an invitation to go out into the world of rock climbing with a friend who was an expert, who she trusted She never told how fearful she was. He had no idea.
Initially, she made it up 20 feet and froze.........her lifelong terror gripped her and for a few moments, she almost gave up. But something inside her softened. She allowed her heart to lead more than her anxious head, and she found her footing.
Halfway up, my friend lost her footing, fell off the face of the hill and dangled in the safety harness. High above ground, she looked around and realized she could trust the gear, trust the process. It was after she toppled over, and dangled in mid air for a bit that she found her real footing. Her fear evaporated right in the middle of a mistake.
She transformed into a warrior rock climber that day, ready to take a new risk....
4 comments:
Beautiful words and an amazing story It is magic to find that point where you not afraid anymore.
I had that with teaching the community class I never felt so confident
What an inspirational story! Your friend must be have been buzzing as she hung there between the sky and earth. I love it.
Gorgeous photograh - and great words! I'm terrified of heights - deven when its other people going near the edge - but no way am I trying rock climbing!!!
Come to think of it, its what I saw somewhere the other day - its not heights I'm afraid of - its edges, I'm scared stiff I will throw myself over! Not deliberately, but as a compulsion or something!
there, that's a sou-baring statement so early in the morning!
Have a great time at Greenbelt - you will love it!
Marja...I experienced it teaching as well.
Gypsy.... We were driving by the rock face on the way to a concert when she told us the story. It was so steep looking! I loved the fact that she gained trust in the process when she knew the harness held her.
Gilly...YOu would catch me up there rock climbing!!
The photo I took last week in Nova Scotia at a place where we have had many wonderful beach suppers and campfires. When the sunsets on them, they glow... hence their name... Red Rocks. They are wonderful to climb as well. Actually, that's about as high as I'll go.
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