“Most of the fears we face every day are not based on facts.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2016-02-02) from his book, 3 Things Successful People Do: The Road Map That Will Change Your Life (p. 109). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Have you found that fear can be a powerful deterrent in living our life to its fullest? It really can be but as John says, “Most of the fears we face every day are not based on facts. They are generated by our feelings.” And that is so important to understand.

John shares a study conducted by the University of Michigan which showed the following: “• 60 percent of our fears are totally unwarranted; they never come to pass. • 20 percent of our fears are focused on our past, which is completely out of our control. • 10 percent of our fears are based on things so petty that they make no difference in our lives. • Of the remaining 10 percent, only 4 to 5 percent could be considered justifiable.”

He then says, “These statistics show that any time or energy you give to fear is totally wasted and counterproductive 95 percent of the time.”

So you’re right, fear can be factual but only 4 to 5% of the time.

He goes on to say, “Fear is interest paid on a debt you may not owe. If you’ve allowed yourself to be detoured by fear, it’s time to look beyond your feelings and examine the thinking that’s generating your fears. Compare your thought patterns to the facts, and see where they don’t match up. If your focus is on the past, try to move beyond it. If you’re worrying about petty things, remind yourself of what is really important. And if you can’t change your thought patterns on your own, seek the help of a professional counselor. Don’t allow yourself to remain a prisoner of your feelings.”

He quoted earlier, President John F. Kennedy who said, “There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”

So fear is worth the time and effort it will take to come to grips with and to not let the 95% that wants to control you, have control.

So do you have a fear that is controlling you today?

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog