Have you ever asked yourself if you are running towards something or running away from something?
It’s a simple question, but possibly a profound answer. All too often, we spend our energies running out of fear. We run aimlessly away from the thing that we believe is going to hurt us.
The visual I get is one that is found in most movie chase scenes. By the way, most of those scenes include Tom Cruise. It’s like he has it in his contract to run at a full-blown sprint in every movie. Well imagine if Tom didn’t know where he was heading. His eyes were more behind him than in front of him. He has no idea where he is heading. Often times the chase ends in a dead end alley or one of those spooky commercial buildings where all the doors are locked.
Now imagine the same scene, except this time Tom knows exactly where he is headed. He spends less time looking behind him and more time on where he is going. His choices are more direct and purposeful because his destination is decided upon.
Our lives are similar to this chase scene. We all have stressors in life. We all have been hurt in life. But not everybody responds the same way. Some of us run out of fear. Some of us live out of fear. Every choice, every relationship, every maneuver is fear based. The problem develops as a result of not having a destination in mind. If our only goal is to not get hurt, we often times will not reach our other goals.
On the contrary, if we pursue our goals or our values or our beliefs then we have a seemingly clear path to follow. When we focus on who we want to be or where we want to be our energies will be used more positively.
Fear is a common emotion and in certain situations it is an appropriate emotion. But to live out of fear is not healthy. Whether it is stress or guarded relationships, fear does not allow us to be our best. When we are driven by fear it becomes difficult to be at peace.
I want you to ask yourself on a regular basis if what you are doing is pursuing something you believe in or if it is being done out of fear. If the answer is fear spend some time identifying what you want and take proactive steps towards accomplishing that goal. Run towards who you want to be instead of just running out of fear.