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hen you and I were born, there were only two things that we were afraid of. First, we were afraid of loud noise. Second, we were afraid of falling down. All the other fears that we experience today have been learned. We live in a fallen and dark world however much positivity you want me to preach. It’s just a fact. At some point on this blog, I shared that the world is not fair, and so you should not expect it to be.

We All Have A Purpose

Nevertheless, regardless of that situation, you and I were born for a reason and for a purpose. I am convinced that none among us is purposeless. I am convicted of the fact that every living human soul is unique and was sent here on earth in order to fulfil a particular purpose which is in contribution to a much grander purpose of humanity. [ictt-tweet-inline]It is the Maker’s glory when his creation expresses itself fully by deploying all the potential that He placed in it.[/ictt-tweet-inline]

The Enemy Called Fear

But why is it that not so many people give glory to the maker by living their lives on purpose? Well, one of the most obvious reasons is fear. Perhaps the greatest force that keeps us from deploying our potential so as to fulfill our purpose is fear itself. Someone said that we should not fear anything but fear itself.

• Fear is the enemy of your soul’s champion that creates an illusion that you are smaller than life.
• It is the roaring imposter that silences the real lion inside of you
• It is a grand master in making people stagnant
• It is the chief prison officer locking away people’s potential
• It is the antagonist that intimidates people and keep them in their cocoons
• It is the silent killer that shuts up people’s inner voice

Towards what end is fear operating in people’s lives? Is it just to scare people and have fun while at it? I don’t think so! [ictt-tweet-inline]There can be no greater intention of fear in the whole wide world other than to limit people from deploying their full purpose and potential[/ictt-tweet-inline]. That’s it. In any case, no one comes on life with these fears. We just pick them as we move along.

Learning To Master Fear

Therefore, having mastery over the fear that has plagued us in life is absolutely crucial. If this is not done, chances are that it will keep you from fulfilling your God-given potential and also keep you from deploying your purpose. So it is absolutely imperative that we identify these fears that plague us daily so we can know how to deal with them. Our main goal is to be fulfilled in life by deploying our purpose.

1. Fear of the Unknown

It’s perhaps the greatest fear we face daily. This fear kills or dulls the spirit of fun and adventure that we have. It is a tricky one because it gets supported by our brain. Our brain keeps information on the known. When the unknown happens, our brain goes on a protective mode sending signals all through the body so that we can rectify the situation and revert back to the known. A good example is exercise. Given that at the beginning of it it’s not fun, next time you want to go out for exercise, the brain will remind you how painful the unknown was last time…and if you are not careful, you will listen and stay indoors.

How it plays out

This fear has kept very many people from pursuing their purpose. Perhaps, your were trained as a teacher. At the same time, you are a gifted athlete. You have been raised in an environment that dictates that you will get a job by showing your training certificate, not by displaying your athletic talent. And so you choose the known (a job as a teacher), and but the unknown in the back burner. Years come and go and that spark keeps flickering in your soul in the distant. Meanwhile, you are Ok with the known but pretty much unfulfilled. Your life is the same old mundane rut that you hate, but as long as it is keeping you in the small circle of comfort you dare not spoil the nest.

The Tyranny of Formulas

All through life, we were trained in a specific way. We have tried to decode the complexity of life into formulas that we think will apply to every person. So we try to mass produce people by forcing them to apply that formula and thinking that it will give the same result for everybody. Those who went before us mean well by trying to protect us (Full manifestation of the fear of the unknown) from what they encountered in life. And so we have their answers that we apply today, but the problem is that the questions are not the same. So we created formal school. Never mind that at every level of formal school, there are those that are branded failures. Failures because they do not fit in the “known”. [ictt-tweet-inline]Probably the biggest problem we have with formal schooling is the fact that it doesn’t have a remedy for the failures.[/ictt-tweet-inline] You know why? Because we have made it a silver bullet for success.

Is there a Silver Bullet For Success?

Let me tell you this: There is no silver bullet for success in life. Of course there are laws and principles. But there is no one formula that you can copy and paste for everybody. What is the solution then? We need to revel in the unknown and embrace life adventure. Why else do scientists excel? They experiment! They do not know everything. All they have is a premise…so they experiment on it. The delve into the unknown until they have figured out something!

Your Greatest Unknown

Your greatest premise in life is the potential that God gave you. This premise is supported by the gifts that you possess, the talents that are obvious in you. It is further illustrated by the passion that you have, the anger that you express at some things in life as well as the compassion with which you want things changed. This premise is far more critical than a formal educational paper that you might or might not have obtained.

All in the reason why fear of the unknown will keep you from your purpose is because purpose largely operates in the realm of the unknown. The very essence of purpose is that it has to be discovered. This means that you might have to do that which you are not accustomed to do, or that which is not widely accepted as the way to live or eke a living. The more we want to use the tested, tried and authenticated formulas, the more we dull the edge of purpose in our lives.

So watch out that you are not encumbered by the fear of the unknown. We shall continue with these thoughts in the next article.