Face Your Fear of the Unknown

You avoid the unknown because you fear it. Growth requires you to become better acquainted with it.

“From fear of the unknown, both horns and wings have grown.” — Chris Murphy

What do you fear most in life?

You may not be willing to admit it, but fear of the unknown is your ancient enemy. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” [H. P. Lovecraft]

You and the rest of humanity have spent hundreds of millennia avoiding the unknown. You would suffer rather than face what you do not know and cannot explain.

Do you deny it?

“We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.” [Tad Williams]

Fear is often strongest when the reward it obscures is of great value.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” [Joseph Campbell] Do you have the courage to move forward and uncover what is hidden? “Your wealth is hiding under the very thing you are afraid to do. It’s time to face your fears and take action.” [Joe Vitale]

You know it’s true. The time for hiding under the covers is over. You must become well acquainted with the unknown. Unmask it. Name it.

“By replacing fear of the unknown with curiosity we open ourselves up to an infinite stream of possibility. We can let fear rule our lives or we can become childlike with curiosity, pushing our boundaries, leaping out of our comfort zones, and accepting what life puts before us.” [Alan Watts]

Counter fear with curiosity. Visualize the good of what is hiding behind your fear. Once you enter the first dark cave, shadows recede in the others.

Make a habit of exploring the unknown. Do not fear it. Claim the wealth hidden within its imagined depths.