The Hotlegs Runner Fear or Faith? | The Hotlegs Runner

Friday, January 7, 2011

Fear or Faith?

Happy Friday everyone! Today's post is brought to you by the letter F.

Fear and Faith...which one will you choose?

I was chatting with my step-mom on yahoo messenger this week about personal matters (totally not related to running) and at the end of it, I felt drained.  She had nothing to do with it.  That was all on me.  I am such a worry wart.  I panic easily you see.  Even before things happen, I do.  This is one trait I plan to get rid of this year.

More often than not, I am controlled by my fears.  Remember my journey towards my first marathon.  How I panicked so much when I started experiencing pain on my right knee and how afraid I was that I won't be able to finish before the cut-off time?  I seriously had sleepless nights because of it!  Come marathon day, I felt no pain in any part of my body and I finished way before the cut-off time.  All that worrying for what? NOTHING!

Coincidentally, this was the topic at church last Sunday!  I think God is trying to tell me something.  So I'm sharing with you what I learned.  I also have to write it down myself so I could be reminded.

What really happens when we look into the future with the eyes of fear?

1.  You get stressed.
2.  You develop self-defeating behaviors.
3.  You start to (inadvertently sometimes) infect others with your negativity.
4.  You see yourself as inadequate for your challenges
5.  You make yourself miserable.

Number 5 pretty much sums it up, right?  Welcome to my full blown pity party!  Woohoo!

But when the party is over, all that crying, complaining, and second-guessing really won't do you any good.  It's not gonna change situations, it's not gonna make you feel better, and it won't help you in an way!

So, what should a fearful person do then?

Well, here's the antidote: LEARN TO LOOK WITH FAITH.

1.  Stop feeding fear.
2.  Believe in your dreams/goals, even before they happen.
3.  Do the things you fear the most.
4.  Surround yourself with positive people who inspire, encourage and motivate you.
5.  Trust God. Trust yourself.

Faith trumps fear and it gets you moving. Instead of letting fear hold you back, use it to get you moving forward.  You'll never know what the future holds, but you can make things happen if you have faith in yourself, in God, in your training, etc.

Do this and you'll realize, the boogieman isn't as big as you thought.

Every accomplishment begins with the decision to try.  You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.

Remember... FEAR is... False Evidence Appearing Real.

That being said,  for 2011 and for the next years to come, I choose FAITH.  How about you?

JuliePosts this week you might have missed:

17 comments:

  1. Great antidote! I will try and remember this advice as I tackle the goals I set for this new year.

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  2. So true! Thanks for the reminder. I need to focus on the faith more than the fear myself.

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  3. I
    Love
    This.

    Awesome.
    Post Julie.

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  4. Oh my gosh, I drive myself into panic attacks with worry. ~x( I am trying to work through it and the best thing for me is running! It truly clears my mind and makes me realize that I am great and great things will happen!!!

    I love the "Smiley Guide" on your page.

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  5. Great stuff here...something to work on, for sure!

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  6. This is a great post! I love it!

    HOPE is believing without seeing!!

    Your Phil 4:13 presents a great motto too: some have interpreted the "do" part as "endure" So- I can endure all things through Him!

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  7. Great post!! I'm the same way and worry way to much. I also get stressed so easily! I try to improve that in 2011 and this post will help me :)

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  8. I totally believe that. I used to have panic attacks and after a lot of work, I have trained myself to work through my fear by almost the exact thoughts you've listed. If only I'd seen this 5 years ago... You could have saved me hundreds in therapy. lol.
    http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/71.gif

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  9. Hi Julie!

    i am no master of my faith even if i am the youngest son of ministers in the Church. my mom (who passed away in 2008) has the person who has that deep faith. i fear alot too. but i i'd say the greatest fear in this world is fear itself! then we have to master that fear. as the saying would go..

    you're not alone. let's just pray hard. each day.

    thanx for posting this. makes me a feel alot confident for my first full marathon tomorrow here in Cebu.

    thanx Julie! Godbless!

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  10. I love this post. I go with FAITH! Of course.

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  11. Julie,
    you wrote this post at a time that I really needed to hear something like this.
    A huge, warm, heartfelt THANKS.

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  12. I love this! Wonderful post. I'm a tad negative too and just plain ol' scared of a lot of things even before they happen. I will try to remember to let faith shine through and conquer that nasty ol' fear.

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  13. Julie, Thank you. I needed to hear that. Like really need it. What a great example of how our perspective and optimism can change any situation. You are awesome! Thanks babe!! I choose faith too.

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  14. I really needed to read this. I will be running my first marathon next February 2012 and have bad knees. I'm also going through a difficult time financially and personally and you are right. I've been allowing fear to rule me instead of faith. Love the blog!

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  15. Fear can be so debilitating. Thank you for the post and the reminder that we can conquer our fears. I'm also in the camp of my brain running crazy each time I feel a twinge in my legs when I run. What does that mean? What if I get hurt? etc. etc. Gotta shut the voices up! ;)) ;;) :)] fun smileys, too.

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  16. @Divas
    Good luck with your first marathon! And do take care of that knee! =)

    Thanks for visiting =)

    ReplyDelete

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