Don’t Move the Way Fear Makes You Move

I wonder: are there really only two ways to deal with life—either through fear or love?

I think the answer is much more complex than responding with black and white answers. But if this saying is even remotely true, what does that mean for those of us who wish to create a remarkable life, follow our bliss, even in the face of frightening challenges?

We all know people who constantly work from a place of fear, and maybe some of us would have to admit that we’re that person sometimes, too. Because our primal body is wired to use fear. Our body is wired to use fear for our own good, and it works really well in the short run (think: being chased by a tiger.) But for a long term approach, tackling life as though it were a constant crisis does more harm than good.

When creating your life, it’s important to remember to build it from the inside out. It’s getting a life instead of getting a career, for example. We must learn to recognize our own depth and power, and use it to bring our gifts forward.

How do we build a life “from the inside out” and follow our bliss? How does this directive translate into action steps for us?

First, we return to our natural, normal state of being human. We learn to pay attention to the many varying emotions and intuitive sensibilities that are flowing through our gut, our heart and our head. They dance together for a reason.

Not unlike an orchestra, it is our job to be the conductor of these varying inputs and bring them together in a rhythmic harmony that suits us and our life’s situation. Our life is our individual opus. No other life is the same as ours, no other person has the unique gifts that we have to give. Thus there is no one specific roadmap.

If we do not give our gifts, if they are lost in a sea of reactionary life experiences where we are victims to circumstance, then our gifts will be lost for all time, and the world will never be blessed with them. If we do give our gifts, our lives stream more fully, joy becomes the norm rather than the exception, we have a chance at figuring out what are true gifts are for this world, and the world is blessed by them.

It’s just a shift in perspective. A return to normal.

Rumi reminds us: Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Life can be difficult. Sometimes we are frightened. Sometimes we feel that life is throwing blows at us, and we are being picked on. Sometimes, we are simply stuck in a difficult situation. And sometimes there may be people actually gunning for us, at work or in life. In any case, how we respond to it defines us as either victim or victor. The choice is ours. Shake off the victimhood and wake up your power to choose.

This is building your life from the inside out.

Learn about Rumi and hear a short audio quote that inspired this blog at WillsPracticalYoga.com.