Are Lions Really Something to Fear?

“It’s not death that man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live” ~ Marcus Aurelius

There are many acronyms for fear.

Some like to think of it as Forget Everything and Run, others believe it’s Face Everything and Rise. I like to think of it as False Expectation Appearing Real.

I like to think of it as False Expectation Appearing Real.

What is fear, where does is come from and why do you experience it? Fear was originally intended to protect you from danger, true danger, where you fear for your life. For example, being chased by a lion who fancies eating you for lunch.

The purpose of that fear is to save your life, to protect you by releasing adrenaline, putting you into freeze, fright or flight mode and giving you’re the ability to act quickly to save your life.

Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about being eaten by a lion. Quite often our lions are our perceptions of life.

Let’s take failure for example. Your perception of failure becomes your lion. You may feel worried or scared that what you set out to do may not work out the way you had hoped, which leave you feeling like a failure. If we had to apply the acronym, False Expectation Appearing Real, to your perception of fear of failure, it may be more helpful to view it in a different way.

Are you going to die if your plans to don’t work out the way they hoped? No, it’s very unlikely.

So how about viewing it from the perspective of there is no failure only feedback? Would that work for you? Would that help you be more willing to try it?

It is true, lions do exist but not all of them are going to eat you.

Review your lion and you will achieve all those things that make you feel alive.

You are enough, you have what you need.

It’s just your expectation that needs to be reviewed that is standing in your way.