“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?