Inherited Fears

Today, I realized that I carry fears that were passed down to me from my family members. These are not my fears. When did I decide to take them on and make them mine? As children we don’t even realize the impact our environment has on our thinking. Conditional response is a powerful thing. Most of the fears we have are learned behaviors that we picked up during childhood. This is crazy stuff when you think about it. These fears don’t even belong to you. They belong to your parents, siblings or trusted advisors. If you trace your fears back to childhood, you’ll find that it was most likely handed down to you.

My family came out of the Depression era which resulted in intense fears around the lack of money, stemming from their experience. I inherited this fear. This fear of lack of money was passed down to me. When I find myself in situations where I’m worrying about money. I can hear my mom’s voice, “you have to save for a rainy day, honey.” Believe me, I have saved for a rainy day and I still have challenges letting go of the fact that I have enough. I don’t have any reason to feel lack in this area so being fearful doesn’t make sense.

I am very mindful that my family members were trying to protect me or save me from something. Maybe it was the mistakes they made. Maybe they were trying to prevent me from experiencing some of the same trials and tribulations. I know all of these actions were made with the best of intentions. Today, I realized that it is time for me to release these inherited fears. I can’t resolve my family member’s fears nor do I have to own them. Their fears don’t belong to me. Trust me, I have my own stuff to tend with. So why do we take on someone else’s stuff?

It is so important that we do our inner work around the source of our fears. You may find the majority of them, you don’t even own. You can begin to lighten your load by letting go of messages you learned as a child that are no longer serving you. It can be so liberating and freeing when you get clarity in this area. I truly was able to lighten my load by releasing my family’s stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I am not judging my family. They did the best they could with the information they had. They did what worked for them. The good news is that I no longer have to carry their fears.

Stop Taking Life For Granted

Take a moment today and think about all the good that is unfolding in your life. Stop thinking about what you don’t have or what is not working. Humor me for a moment, think of all the things you do have. Think of all the basic blessings you have in your life at this very moment. Do you have your health? Can you walk without assistance? Can you feed yourself? Do you have health insurance? Do you have a home? Are your lights and gas on in your home? Do you have a car or access to transportation? Do you have a job or a means to support yourself? Do you have clothing to wear and shoes for your feet? Do you have people in your life who love and support you?

Why is it so easy to get caught up in the conditions of life? Why do we allow our life experiences to block our blessings? Why can’t we be happy for the things we do have? I want you to think for moment what your life would be life without these things? We get so caught up in what we don’t have that we miss all the blessing in the things we do have. We begin to take life for granted. The Universe has an amazing plan for you and will provide for all your needs. It’s hard to accept the good things in life when you allow lack and limitation to rule your life.

Think about the richness of life, the amazing people you’re going to meet, the places you’re going to go, the good breaks that are going to find you. You will be amazed with what life has in store for you. So, why are you making excuses for yourself? Thinking of all the reasons why something won’t work. We come up with reasons why this or that is not going to happen. You know, all the excuses why it won’t work. I don’t have enough money. I don’t know the right people. I don’t have the right clothes. I come from the wrong neighborhood…the wrong race…the wrong this and the wrong that!

Instead of thinking of all the reasons why it won’t work out, think of the one reason why it will. Have faith! There are no limits in God. There is no spot where God is not. With God you can transcends all the conditions of life. Including your circumstances, your family or anyone who is against you. Don’t you get it? You cannot be stopped by people, bad luck or injustice. Stop feeding into other people’s limitations of your life. If you are ready to grow to the next level, here are a few things you can do.

• Learn from the past but don’t let it stop you from moving forward.
• Stop avoiding situations and letting fear stop you from moving forward.
• Try something new which allows you to step out what is familiar.
• Stop putting yourself down. We all make mistakes but we don’t have to live in them.
• Don’t project your thoughts into the future, stay in the “now” moment.
• Be open and receptive to new ideas and suggestions from others.

Life will always throw you a curve ball. How do you react when this happens? If you want something different, you have to do something different. Choosing a different approach is a personal choice. What are you choosing today? www.facebook.com/TRBeverly