Fear is a Horrible Self-Illusion

Fear is a horrible self-illusion. I say this because I know that it is not something that comes from an outside source that makes you afraid of something. Only you can determine if you choose to be afraid of something or not. For example, when a kid is afraid to go to sleep at night because they think some kind of monster is in their closet. You know there's nothing in there, but they still choose to hold onto that fear, no matter how much you try to reassure them.

As much as I'm trying to move past negative things like that and be in control of my own life, I too have some remaining fears. In my case, I want to be a vegan, but I'm afraid of getting sick again. The first time I tried to be a vegetarian, I was hit by a car. I took it easy after that so that I could recover in the way my body was used to, and I ate meat again. After my recovery, I tried to be a vegan, but I ended up getting shingles because my body's immune system suddenly dropped. I was fearful of death (because it had been known to happen in serious cases of the illness) and I convinced myself that I was destined to be a meat eater because my body wouldn't accept it any other way.

Flash forward over 10 years. Over this past decade, I learned more about nutrition and what it takes to be healthy, and now I know that there are plenty of ways to get protein while being a vegan, and that I could easily go for it again. However, I still have that fear pulling me back. I keep thinking - what if I get sick again? What if I break out in shingles again? This would be the 3rd time I've gotten it in my lifetime.

I KNOW I can do it, but I keep letting my own fear from experience keep me from following through with it. And I know I'm doing this to myself, and I want to stop. I try to live by the saying "you never know unless you try". I just need to release that fear. And I hope you start releasing your fears, too. Remember that the only person standing in your way is YOU. Only you can make yourself happy. No one is in control of you but yourself, and you are the one who decides what holds you back. Only you can free yourself.

L.I.V.E. L.I.F.E. ♥