I decided for myself earlier this year that I would no longer lead a fear-based life with all of the constraints and limits that a life of fear dictates.
Fearful thoughts can make the difference between tormented days and peaceful ones.This is not new news.
Our moods are very much directly linked to the way we think about things.
The fearful "what if's" of life can take us over so easily if we allow them to.
What I have discovered for myself is that often fear-based thoughts are about things that are beyond our own control.
Really all we can do is to radically accept this fact, hand those things over to the kindness and Grace of God and start taking full responsibility for ourselves rather than waiting for others to meet our needs.
That is not to say that we don't get needs met in community, from others...but the responsibility never belongs to another human being...it is up to each of us to get out of the victim mentality where others are constantly to blame for our unhappiness.
As I have made this decision for myself I have come up with a motto for the year.
My new motto is "jump".
As I have jumped into new things e. g. deciding to go to Europe, new and exciting worlds have opened up to me.
'Jumping' can feel like a risk.
It may involve making a phone-call that is scary for you or joining a new group.
None of us can complain that our worlds are small and restricted, none of us can blame another person for that...even if we have been hurt by others in the past.
A friend of mine jumps by attending his Chemo dressed as a cowboy or pirate and cheers up many as he does so.
Difficult circumstances don't dictate whether we choose to be free on the inside.
I choose freedom.
You can too.
