10 Things That Scare Me

Hallowe’en is a time when the goblins come out and I’m scared. But it’s not the costumed ghosts, ghouls and mummies that have me spooked. This is a time when scary things lurk in the shadows and sometimes it’s the shadows themselves I’m afraid of.

10 Things That Scare Me

1. That I will not be all that I can be in this world. This is my greatest fear–that I hold back from doing what I am here to do and leave this world without learning the lessons I’m here to learn and making the difference I’m capable of making.

2. Letting go. To surrender to Spirit, to trust that people and resources will be there when I need them. As a result, I spend too much time on work and not enough on play and Spirit. Note: That’s Spirit, not spirits.

3. Stillness. I love time alone, solo travel and quiet time. But consciously being still, with no technology, nothing in my hands and no movement is something else entirely. Being alone with my thoughts is scary. To sit still and just be takes a great deal of discipline, yet that is the most direct connection to Spirit there is.

4. Rolling on the throttle. On a motorcycle, this creates acceleration by igniting a larger mixture of air and gas, which causes a bigger explosion, which turns the engine faster. That power gets transferred to the rear wheel via chain, belt or shaft drive and moves you forward. I know full well I hold back and don’t utilize a fraction of the personal power I’m capable of generating. Consequently, less power is converted into action and results.

5. Releasing the clutch. On a motorcycle, or any standard transmission, you can apply as much throttle as you want and as long as you don’t release the clutch, you won’t go anywhere. Staying in the friction zone is great for slow speed maneuvers, but if you want to go anywhere, you’ve got to let go, keep shifting into higher gears, and letting go each time. Otherwise, all you create is resistance, your energy is depleted and you’ve barely moved. There are many times when fears hold me back; it can be insidious, masquerading as procrastination, overwork or being easily distracted.

6. A broken heart. No one is immune from the effects of a broken heart, myself included. So to protect it, I build a wall around it. That way it can’t get broken.

7. Insufficient courage. There are things we’re asked to do that require courage. Intuitively, I know that I won’t be asked to do anything greater than I have the skills, abilities and support for. I also know that mistakes and setbacks are part of the lesson. Yet like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, I wish I had more courage to stand my ground and go about my work.

8. Not communicating my message effectively. It’s one thing to have a story to tell and another to convey it so it reaches the right listeners, resonates with them, and makes a difference in their lives.

9. That my energy outlasts my physical body. There are a number of ways of looking at this, but an physically active life is important to me, especially given the major spiritual role that motorcycles currently play a role in my life.

10. Not being true to myself. In the end, this is what it’s all about, encapsulating everything that’s come before on this list. This is not a place you arrive at, nor is it something that happens instantaneously. It happens with each step along the way, for each of us, in our own way.

Fortunately, none of these things are fatal, nor do they cause irreversible damage. Acknowledging them disarms them, diffuses their power and sends them back into the shadows where they belong!

 
photo credit: h.koppdelaney via photopin cc