Don't Run From Your Fears

Sometimes you feel like it.  Sometimes you feel like the only thing you can do is run from your fears.  However, I'm here to tell you don't run from your fears.  It won't help you.

I do realize that there are times you don't want to associate with your fears and you'd rather not even acknowledge them.  This is the human experience.  Yet, the fears are in your life for some reason.  You have given birth to them and nurtured them.  They are your fears.

Sometimes fear is very important.  It gets our attention.  It points us to some danger that we need to see.  Sometimes fear has a way of making us take notice and see that the footsteps ahead are not really what we want for our life.

Fears also show up when moments of our life come up which may be difficult to process or deal with at that point.  Experiences from our past or what lies ahead can have a protective level of fear around them.  The fear is meant for us to proceed with caution and to try to slow down and see the whole picture.

Fear is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you're running from the tiger in the jungle.  You need that fear to keep yourself alive.  You need that fear to motivate your feet and your body to run as far away and as fast as you can from the tiger.

Instead of acting like you need to run from your fears, try something different instead.  Don't see fear as something bad, but as something that can show you the way or help you see things in a different perspective.  Let it light the path and provide another perspective in your life.

Let the energy of fear propel you forward, not keep you hidden in your cave.  Let the possibility that fear is hiding from you, be one of the most enlightening moments of your life.  Harness the energy.  Embrace fear.  Become one with fear.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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I Write To Make Sense Of Life

One of the things that I do to help make sense of life is I write. When I hurt, I usually try to write what is going on and put it into words. Often this helps me put things in more perspective and allows me to learn from what is going on.

I remember in an early episode of the Waltons when John Boy told his father that if he didn't get the words down on paper, his head was going to explode. I feel the same way at times.

Out of my hurts, pains, and realizations is where my words come from. They are often filled with the emotions and questions as I write them. To those that aren't familiar with how I write, I'm sure it looks like I am just questioning and dealing with these things. However, when I share these words, it is usually my way of sharing my process, not necessarily the end point.

I really don't know why I write everything down and why I share it in this blog for the most part. Some things do not make it to these pages but many do. I am drawn to sharing what I learn and until the day I run out of words, I will continue.

When I was in the hospital in 1991 because of paralysis, the words were difficult to find, let alone speak or write. It took me some time before I could speak normally again. At times, I still struggle to hand write things but fortunately the computer has made that much easier. So now that I can share words with others, I enjoy doing it and it is one of my purest forms of love and enjoyment in the world.

My only hope is that someone will benefit from what I share on this blog or in my book. I hope that someone will be further enlightened or at least stop to pause and think differently about a situation in their own life. While I don't profess to have all the answers, I just share those moments along my own journey, full of emotion, pain and realizations. These are the things that I have to offer to the world.


Further Reading
Hope And Possibility Through Trauma (by Don Shetterly)



Blog Post & Images (c) 5/2/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Highlights Of Our Life

Have you ever sat down and listed the highlights of your life? If you have not done this, it may be an exercise that you wish to do. In many ways, doing this helps you really see things that you might easily forget or minimize. Especially if you are going through a difficult time in your life, this can help even up the balance scale.

You don't have to make the exercise elaborate. Just find a quiet place and begin listing on a piece of paper, the highlights of your life. While there may be some very negative moments, try to focus on the positive outcome of those times. Give yourself something to show that you really gained and learned from the experience.

When you get done, look back over your list and notice what you have recorded? Does it show much more than you thought it would? Is it different than what you often see your current life? Was this exercise difficult or were there very few things you could write down? Be honest with yourself in answering these questions and allow this exercise to help expand the awareness of your life.

If you want to see what I wrote, I'll share my life on here. I did this on the day of my birthday to mark that day in my life. Please note that I have included some links to various resources that help to mark each of these moments. The highlighted link on each specific word should be visible in the list.

1. Played the piano
2. Raised animals with love
3. Tried to be honest in everything I do
4. Been there for others
5. Created relaxing music from the heart
6. Painted mindful paintings
7. Faced the odds in life
8. Learned so much
9. Evolved in awareness
10. Came back from paralysis
11. Enjoyed the sunsets
12. Taken chances & risks
13. Came back from nothing
14. Writing for a blog
15. Writing for a newsletter
16. Learned to cook creatively
17. Changed and adapted
18. Learned new computer skills
19. Learned massage & became licensed
20. Awakened to my true calling
21. Appreciated nature
22. Learned to love someone
23. Learned to accept myself
24. Dealing with anger
25. Rid the daily headaches, migraines
26. No more nervous stomachs
27. Found my memory again
28. Went through anxiety
29. Went through depression
30. Survived suicide
31. I am a highly sensitive person
32. Connecting with angels
33. Church no longer rules me
34. Conquered many fears
35. Loved some cats
36. Held my life out as a light for others
37. Came back from losing it all
38. Sponsored two children (Children Intl)
39. Made some wonderful friends
40. See more possibility than despair
41. Recognize my short comings
42. Allow myself to make mistakes
43. Recognizing my strengths
44. Faced my courage inside
45. Trusted my instincts
46. Lived in a big city
47. Allowed myself to love who I want
48. Learned I can do more than I realize
49. Changed so much in life
50. I can make it without family
51. I’m compassionate
52. I see through the lies
53. I’ve learned to love life
54. Learned to enjoy life
55. Writing a book
56. Pulse rate dropped from 99
57. Healed from itching

As you can see from my list, there are many different aspects of my life. Many of these things were difficult to go through when they took place, but looking back now, I get to see an entirely different perspective. Sometimes we do need to focus on the negative in our lives because that is where we are at. Sometimes we need to kick and scream and yell because that is the power that moves us forward. It is in these times, that we truly find ourselves. With these allowing ourselves to kick and scream, we would miss an important part of our healing.

May you discover something new about yourself as you list the highlights of your own life. If this exercise gives you one glimpse of something you have not seen, than it was worth the time and effort. Let it be a window into your soul and a door to your future!

*Read other articles on Mind Body Thoughts Blog

A Man Walks Down The Street

Someone once told me a story about a someone who was going through a very difficult time. However, from the outsiders perspective, they could see the changes the person needed to make but that person continued to do the same thing over and over again. So too, many of us are like this. Here's how the story goes.

A man walks down the street.
A man falls in a deep hole.
A man walks down the street.
Again, a man falls in a deep hole.
A man walks down the street.
Again, a man falls in a deep hole.
The man walks down the street.
This time he walks around the deep hole.

Perspective

Perspective is what you have that may or may not change from the current moment to the next moment. Doesn't that sound a little confusing and convoluted? Yes, but it is a true statement.

You see, right now if you each of us thinks about some issue, some event or something in our lives, we have a perspective about it. That's right. Our perspective is colored by how we see things and how our minds filter the information that we receive. Not all of our minds sees the information in the same light. We're at different points in our lives and places and learning. We've all had different experiences which bring us to our current moment in time. Even if your experiences were almost identical to someone else, you still have a different mind that sees things through your own filters.

So does that make your perspective wrong and my perspective right or does it make my perspective wrong and your perspective right? I would say no to both statements. Sure, there are some things that could fall into one of these two statements but that's not my point here. We're beyond that point for the purpose of this discussion.

What I am referring to is how do you view the world? How do you view your body and its relationship to every day life? How do you view where you are going in the world and what you are learning? These are the questions from which give us all perspective and from which the perspective really matters in my view. Beyond these walls, there is so much noise and if were not careful, that clanky noise can convince us that it is a symphony.

It is up to each one of us to know ourselves and to know as much about how we tick, how we think and where we are headed. It is our own perspective about ourselves and the more we know, the more complete we are. Many times, we fear that which we do not know and so instead of going into these things, we stand on the outer edges of all there is to experience in life.

So my challenge to not only myself and to everyone that reads this is "to thine own self be true".