I recently saw a post on social with the hashtag #havenofear, and I found myself scratching my head and wondering... Then what shall I have?...The salad? The filet mignon?

When you tell someone what not to do, or, in this case, what NOT TO HAVE it leaves the listener guessing as what to do, or what to have instead.

This is why leading with a negation can be confusing and even stifling for the listener.
Negations (Don’t, Won’t, Can’t, Haven’t, Not, No) focus our attention on what we wish to avoid. So when we speak with them, we lose the opportunity to point the listener in the direction of possibility, enrichment, obtainment... the path toward success and personal growth.

What tickles my fancy even more about #HAVENOFEAR is the use of the word have.
To have is to possess. The feeling of fear is more likely to posses the individual than the individual is to posses it, right?

When we have things, we own them. We can place what we own on a shelf for safekeeping. Our possessions do not require much of our attention. If we left them there for a week, they would most likely be there when we came back. Just a little dustier.

So what happens to fear when we have it and save it for later? Can we ever just place it on a shelf?
Or is fear a state of being (rather than a possession) and does this state of being have a hold on us?
More specifically, how does your fear take hold of your dreams?

If you were to HAVE NO FEAR, then WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE?
If fear was no longer holding you back, WHO would you BECOME?

It took me a moment to answer this question for myself. At first, I thought the answer was more loving. And then it occurred to me, “ah yes, that is the state of being I often struggle with the most; embodying and behaving with more equanimity and acceptance."

When we are more accepting, and practicing equanimity, we are more inclined to embrace fear and find the courage to act rather than wait for the moment to no longer feel afraid (choosing to wait could equate to someday, too late, or never).

Fear can be an indicator that we are moving in the direction of what matters most to us. Without fear, we might miss out on the fact that we are right where we are supposed to be.

Maybe fear = being on the adventure of a lifetime to where we want to be?