VN February 2023

Vetnuus | Februarie 2023 34 I hope this article finds you and your families well and safe!!! Last month we discussed distractions and priorities in view of starting to prepare for 2023. This month we will touch on the impact of fear and its impact on our respective lives. Sadly, we are born only with the fear of falling (mostly a reflex, really), and as we get older, we tend to develop a number of fears, some being more crippling than others. I remember arriving at primary school and high school later, wanting to “fit in”. Joining a high school was particularly memorable because the concept of “initiation”was most prevalent there. The older high school kids would make life quite difficult for us newcomers in the first year, and we would have to pass various tests before we were considered part of the school and its ethos. We were all eager to please the existing fraternity and willing to do many things to get that approval and acceptance. How far would we go to prove our loyalty to our school? How far would we commit and prove reliable? The weirdest test I had heard about, and thankfully not subjected to personally, was swallowing a LIVE goldfish!!!! What do high school initiation and swallowing a live goldfish have to do with success in life? Well, every difficulty and challenge we face and overcome… every fear confronted and defeated, leads us to a new level in our development that we would have been unable to reach otherwise. That is why we need the courage to further your success. Fear is an emotion that is built-in as a protection mechanism. The famous “fight or flight” response. The choice we make when our safety is threatened. Sadly, the threat to our safety doesn’t even need to be real; it only needs to be perceived or believed to be real!!! For example, the fear of failure or embarrassment. It can be significant enough to make us run for the hills (emotionally speaking) and refuse to take the risk that has the potential to improve our lives. Some people demonstrate it as procrastination, blaming, justifying, etc. It could be the fear of change, the fear of taking responsibility, the fear of discomfort, rejection, or any other fear you can identify in your current or past circumstances. Those fears are our goldfish that we are afraid or refuse to swallow. What obstacles tend to stop you and grind your progress to a halt? - Setting and committing to a goal/objective at work or in your life? - Forgiving the ones that have hurt you? Asking for forgiveness? - Asking for help? - Talking to and meeting strangers? - Letting go of emotions like anger? It is vitally important that one decides to pursue something wholeheartedly, as it is the very thing that will help one overcome most fears. The antidote to most fears is action, doing something about that fear that is paralyzing you. Instead of asking what the consequences of facing your fear will be, you should be asking “how”, “when”, “what do I need to do first”, “who can help me”, or “where do I find help”. Influential Life Coaching THE GOLDFISH Dr Mats Abatzidis B.Sc. B.V.Sc. New Insights Certified VIP Life Coach mats.abatzidis@yahoo.co.za Founder of Influential Life Coaching http://www.matsaba.wix.com/drmatscoach Author of the published book“Life outside your comfort zone. Better and beyond all expectations”. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref =nb_sb_noss?url=search- alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Abatzidis http://www.life-coach-directory.co.za/mats-abatzidis Decide what motivates you more: pain or pleasure.