What holds us back from chasing our dreams and reaching our goals, and forces us to keep from prioritizing what should be important? It's fear. For some reason, humans were granted the ability to draw conclusions about the future and reflect on the past. However, sometimes we can get so caught up in the future and past that we forget to live in the moment and enjoy the present. Fear can be productive if used in a positive way, but those who dwell on the future and forget about the present allow fear to hinder their judgment in a negative way. Life is about fulfillment, contentment, and legacy and fear is a tool that can be useful in achieving all these things, but that is all that it is -- a tool.
“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not, at present, and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.” -- Will Smith, "After Earth"
Fear can be used as a positive tool to keep humans out of danger and from making bad decisions. For example, I fear death. If I predict that something may lead to my death I will do everything in my power to avoid it. Another example is that I fear disappointing the people whom I care about the most. Hence, if I have an important moment coming up in my life, I fear failing and letting down the ones who have invested in me and are counting on me. This is the type of fear that can hold me back but, if I use it effectively as a tool, it should boost my performance.
Buddha said it best, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Buddha does not mean to say that making predictions about the future and reflecting on the past is a bad thing, but it is bad to dwell and dream about the past and future more than you focus on the present. People should use memories of the past and predictions of the future to influence current decisions, but not as distractions to keep from focusing and making current decisions. Buddha means to say that we live in the moment, not in the past or future, so we should focus on what we live in. Living in the moment is contentment, fulfillment, and legacy all in one. Be accepting, but mindful of what has happened in the past. Consider the ramifications of current actions on the future, but realize that the present is the moment that we live in and the only one that you control. Fear cannot affect you negatively if you come to realize that fear stems from a disordered state of mind.
