Silence is golden

Take the risk to be still. Know provocateurs can't touch your inner peace unless you let them. Anyone can verbally attack another person. You may know a smart aleck or someone who would like to get your goat. Why permit that?

Anyone can be angry and express things with the aim of harming others. Anyone can be sarcastic, devalue and belittle people. Silence is a universal refuge, a place to ignore such behavior and project a very poignant reply to insults. Silence is a peacemaker.

It takes a warrior to be silent and to recognize the benefits and strategies of passive action. Silence is very powerful. Silence can also enable you to spread love, compassion and positive feelings that some adversaries wouldn't expect. Manifest and intend good things from inside you. This will set yourself free.

Silence is more valuable than you might think. Spiteful words can injure feelings, but silence can highly influence the soul. Have you ever thought that silence can actually be the loudest voice and leave the greatest impact?

Silence is a source of great strength. The best weapon against anger and volatility is silence. Why add fuel to a fire? Sometimes saying nothing is the best answer, the most compelling speech. Its not necessarily a reprimand, but can acknowledge the foolishness of certain acts that aren't worth your time or energy.

"The world would be much happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak."   –Baruch Spinoza

Move beyond fear

A number of people dream how they could move beyond fear.  You may also ask how you can get out of the grips of this potentially-destructive emotion.

One friend of mine has a fear of flying, literally.  When she boards a plane to travel somewhere, she pops the gravel or some other pill to knock herself out so she can forget about what is happening.  She prefers not to be conscious because they she doesn't have to deal with it.  Denial and then using a quick fix is her way.  "This approach works well enough," she explains. I smile and shrug my shoulders.  I've also encouraged her to rethink the reasons for her fear.

Now, consider your own circumstances.  What experiences frighten you? Are you aware of the root causes of your fear? The moment you decide fear will no longer control you, you're life will begin to change for the better.  Attitude and conditioning can assist you to overcome fear. You must learn to decipher what is truly rational versus what is irrational in your thinking.

More specifically, you need to learn what is truth and when you're lying to yourself. Challenge every fear-based thought.  Find out what is real and what is your imagination running away with you.  This may seem like the ultimate risk, to be honest with yourself and take control of your life.  Just think of all the positive experiences waiting for you! 

Everything you need

People dream and evolve within themselves to determine what is true and what is false.  No kind of discouragement can prevent us from realizing our dreams except ourselves.  Will you take the risk to believe that all things are possible?  

You can be more determined than any external source of frustration, doubt or anxiety.  Convince yourself that you aren't a victim or a slave of your feelings.  Choose to be the master of yourself.  You are strong enough to search for those things that mean the most to you.  You can find a way to disregard those things which have no meaning in your life.  To let them go is to realize they exert no control.  Act instead to attract those things that enrich you.  As you go out into the world, be happy, have a positive attitude and allow your life to speak to people.

As you begin to sense you never really have or lose anything, you can accept habits, commitments and debts, and learn benefits in taking risks to learn from each one.  This is a lesson that you have the freedom to choose, to tap into and develop your particular gifts.  They are yours to be used.  Everything you need is right inside and right in front of you. Take a risk to take advantage.

Your actions speak louder than your words.  Let your actions talk for you. Show how risk-taking is worth it.  Rather than talk about the hardships you experience, reflect the life that shows how why you have reason to be consistently happy.  Send positive signals. Why would people want what you have? Reflect a disposition that convinces you and others you have all you need.  Take a risk to create the attitude that makes you feel good. Pay attention to signals of your gestures.

Reshape your comfort zone

What is it about people telling you, your dream niche is out there!? How many people do you know who regularly stop what their doing just long enough to reframe things? Maybe far fewer than could benefit from such a process.  If reviewing your life, validating it, and finding reasons for self respect are part of your past, what may have changed all that? The opposite feelings.  If you feel locked inside an unchanging reality or, crave new sources of stimulation, consider these ideas:

1) Rekindle your childhood or adolescence.  When you were younger, you spoke about things ou hoped to do.  You may have written a diary or journal. Refer back to your writing and possibly also friends from this point of your life.  Jog your memory and jumpstart your soul journey.

2) Step back from your latest routine.  If you don't have a particular project in mind to tackle just yet, it would be useful to integrate change into regular routines.  Take time to brainstorm and test out new things.  Attend a local club meeting as a guest or a trial with no obligations.  Feeling the waters implies a willingness to admit what you do now is no longer working.  Your options branch from there.

3) Bridge the gap.Your next venture or creative pursuit can bridge your personal and professional interests if this appeals to you.  You could initiate a group undertaking at the office after hours or find a common interest among friends and launch a shared venture. 

4) Think and live outside-the-box.  What society tells you makes sense won't necessarily be the same thing that makes sense to you.  Its okay to make choices that are uncommon or don't seem to jive with the status quo.  There's no reason you can't combine seemingingly incompatible roles or pursuits.  After all, you're the only person who really defines what's right for you as you are at this moment.

5) Retire dead-end chapters. We all have them: periods of our lives which cease to appeal or motivate us.  We may outgrow activities, relationships, goals and feel reluctant to give them up out of habit.  The idea of admitting a style, behavior or mindset no longer suits you simply means its time to adopt something new.  This process can be part of a healthy life phase transition.  Shed that old skin.  Molt.

6) Embrace uncertainty.  Evolve to make changes that enable you to feel good about yourself.  You will never be able to predict everything, but you can prepare yourself for the positive things awaiting you around the corner.  To choose to explore interests indicates you're ready to grow.

7) Tap into your skills & talents. People rarely feel they use all their talents and skills.  How well-acquainted are you with your own?  What have you been postponing that you could offer as a gift to others? Learning to tap into underused or undiscovered talents can transform your life.  This is also an opportunity to get-to-know yourself better. How you have evolved in your life until now?

Twist of fate

What if one of the most effective things you could do was to take the risk to share your fears with another person? This kind of action may bring you relief and closure. Ask yourself about the processes you have gone through to reveal what is eating you. How can this enable you to grow?

As a child, I recall the fear I felt about the impact of one of my first cassette tapes. It was the soundtrack from the musical Grease. I was just at the phase where I was hearing curse words. The energy and excitement of this music caused me to blurt out forbidden words. It gave me goose-bumps, at the same time as made me feel guilty about things I didn’t think I should say. When I invited a girlfriend over, we played the music and she was just as affected by the intensity of the lyrics as I was. She enabled me to feel better about expressing these things. She also encouraged me to remember a time and a place for everything. I sensed a kind of relief, as well as accepted my impulsive self as I was.

At age 12, I recall the fear of going out for the school basketball team. It was a personal dare of sorts and a peer pressure stunt. At the time, I knew very little about this game. I didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone about my fears since I didn’t wish to be “a wimp.” I joined the other girls who prepped for tryouts. When the coach asked us all to perform a ‘lay-up,’ I actually didn’t know what that was. So, I watched the girls ahead of me and gathered the courage to do the best I could. As it turned out, I didn’t exactly make a fool of myself. Yet, I didn’t make the cut either. I stood my ground. The rest was worth it.

During high school, I recall a fear about making a trial for the cross country running team. At the time, a guy I liked was trying out and his presence motivated me to give it a go. Although I had ice skated, I had never run before. A spark of doubt in my mind nearly caused me to reconsider, telling me I wasn’t capable. Luckily, a stronger side of me was more determined. I decided I could run with the best of them. Although that guy decided not to join, I did. Running became like meditation for me. I learned value in being alone with myself. Admittedly, I certainly didn’t win many races, but my peers voted me “most valuable team player” for other team contributions. To connect with people became a way to stop and take note of what mattered. You might say running pursuits led me to embrace other life challenges and I stretched more than my hamstrings.

As I got older, I have experienced fear in regard to moving to different countries and adapting to my surroundings. Funny, it is precisely deep feelings of discomfort that have prompted me to embrace the benefits of transitions. Why not open new doors and redefine meaning and satisfaction in life? I’ve learned denial of some opportunities isn’t necessarily negative. Each time I identify a sense of rejection, I re-orient and take a risk to define other pursuits which may be better for me. Or, I rethink how I see where I am.