Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.

Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain. – Mark Twain

"Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" Indiana Jones from the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

What does that mean?
This quote is admonishing us to face our fears. And not just face them, but to do the very thing we fear. With that action, fear dies, it dissolves because it is just an illusion in our mind. Once you have faced your fear, and found the fear unfounded, how can you fear it again?

Here we are talking about ordinary fears, not true phobias. Those should be handled in conjunction with professional help. But the ordinary fears we have as humans, they are to be catalogued, analyzed, and demolished by doing the thing you fear. It’s empowering, to say the least.

Why is overcoming fear important?  
It is my belief that nearly all of our fears are either misplaced or artificial. A misplaced fear would be like the fear of heights. Most people are afraid of falling, not of heights, but (to most people) one implies the other. Artificial fear would be like the fear of choking on food. It’s possible, but is easily prevented, fairly easily corrected if it does happen, exceedingly rare, and hardly something to fear.

However, most of us have a fear of doing certain activities. I still dislike heights, and fear falling from high places (not trees, but narrow ledges or rooftops). This is despite spending a lot of time diving off the 3 meter spring board and even parachuting. To be precise, for me it’s not a fear of heights but a respect for the sudden stop at the bottom.

Where can I apply this in my life?
I’d like to start with a pair of examples from my life. Recently, our Boy Scout Troop had a few reptiles in the meeting (part of a merit badge) and some small pythons were available to handle. My daughter, who finds snakes fascinating on TV, really didn’t want to touch one when she found out they were there. She admitted that she was afraid of snakes.

I convinced her to first touch one, then to let it lay across her outstretched arms. I tried to get her to wear it around her neck, but that was just a little much for her. Even after I did it, which she thought was really cool, she didn’t want to do it. But now she isn’t afraid of snakes. She respects them for what they can do, but does not fear them.

When I was young, I was scared to death of diving off the 1 meter spring board. Diving off the side of the pool was one thing, but the board was quite another. Eventually, my mom chased me off the board, and my first words after surfacing (so my mom says) were “That was fun!” My fear had been both of the unknown (first dive) and of falling into the water from that height. Once I’d taken action and proven both aspects of the fear to be unfounded, fear was dead. Fear 0, Fun 1.

Grab some paper and write down about half a dozen things you either fear or are really not that fond of (cleaning the bathroom doesn’t count, unless you have a family of spiders living there that are the cause of your fear). This isn’t about things that are gross or disgusting, smell bad or are disagreeable for fairly obvious reasons. This is about things you are afraid of, whether for no apparent reason or for what you think may be a justifiable reason.

For each item on your list, expand on why you fear the item. If your fear is spiders, have you been bitten by one and had a severe reaction? I’ve known people who were allergic to bee stings, but carried the appropriate medicine, and didn’t fear bees nor being stung.

For each answer you write down, ask yourself “why” a few more times. I have found that if you dig deep enough, you will either find the true cause of your fear, or find that there is nothing left when you are done with the questions. When you get to “because they’re creepy,” you know you have a good start on conquering your fear.

Fear has two parts. The paper exercise allows you to examine the logical side of fear. However, the quote isn’t “think about the thing you fear” but “do the thing you fear.” For each of the fears on your list, write down a couple steps that take you from where you are to completely fear free.

If it’s snakes, perhaps you want to start by watching a show on TV about them, or reading a library book about them. The internet is another source to consider for information and images.

Next, you might want to ask around to see if a nearby zoo (or a friend) has a snake you could visit. Start with just watching it, perhaps handling a shed skin. Eventually, and after a briefing on proper handling, you would want to have them hold a snake so you could touch it and get accustomed to it.

When you’re ready (or close to ready, as many people will stall at this point), have them transfer the snake to you. You might not become a snake wrangler, but your fear of them should now be gone. They might still be creepy and a little scary (which is fine), but you shouldn’t fear them.

What steps do you have written down for your list? Again, the quote is about doing something, not thinking or writing lists (unless you are afraid of thinking, or are afraid of making lists).

Look at the lists and choose something you can do right now. Use the internet and look something up, learn about one of your fears, and take that first step. Respect the dangers, but don’t fear them.

Do it, and with each action you take, your fear will become closer and closer to dead. And that’s a good thing.

From: Twitter, @GreatestQuotes
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain141714.html
Photo by Sequoia Hughes