#500: No Fear (Friday, July 29)

What if you weren't afraid of anything? Not spiders, snakes, heights, dying...not even repercussions. How would that change your life?

If you're like me, you probably initially thought, "That would be a great thing!" but if you consider it more deeply, you'll probably realize that having no fear isn't the best case scenario.

Think about a time when you were in a dangerous situation. What made you choose the course of action that you did? It was probably your fear and it likely helped you successfully avoid that danger (or might have even saved your life).

People who have no fear may not have it as easy as you think.

#499: Do Not Fear the Sunk Costs (Friday, July 22)

In economics and business decision-making, a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. 

In life, people sometimes let the fear of the sunk costs cripple them from moving forward. They feel like since they have already invested X amount of time, energy, money, etc. they should continue on the same path so as not to make the "loss" greater, or to make their investment thus far "worth it."

But do not fear the sunk costs. Don't let it keep you in a rut (or put you there). You can always change course and go a different route; it's never too late.

#498: How Badly Do You Want It? (Friday, July 15)

When it comes to fear, sometimes it's just a matter of how badly you want the thing that fear is keeping you from.

Scared of flying? How badly do you want to see the world?
Fear of failure? How badly do you want to succeed?
Afraid of public speaking? How badly do you need to get your message to the world?

Think about it...

#497: When Fear is the Norm (Friday, July 8)

"I live in fear every day. Every time I get in my car, I worry if today will be the day I get pulled over for a traffic violation and not make it home. I'm scared to fall asleep on the subway; to walk in certain neighborhoods late at night; to have even so much as a beer if I'm driving...I'm always afraid."

Since the beginning of the year, we've been talking about specific fears and how to overcome them. The fear of heights, of birds, of failure, of success, of dogs...

But not all fears are formulaic and fall into a neat little box. Sometimes you're in a constant state of fear - it becomes the norm and it controls every faction of your life.

And when you live in fear that your life will be taken away for just existing, that's something for which I don't have an answer.

#496: Mountain Dwellers (Friday, July 1)

Climbing the world's tallest peaks requires preparation. You have to build up your lung capacity over time. You can't just get up one day and decide that you're gonna climb Kilamanjaro - unless you're on of the people who was born on the mountain. Sometimes people prepare and they're still not able to make it to the top, not because of their willpower but because they simply weren't built to climb mountains.

So it is with life. Not everyone is meant to get to the mountain top. God made some of us with lung capacities and physical limitations that prevent us from getting to the top.

Sometimes fear isn't the reason.