I think that a lot of people, without realizing it, live in a constant state of fear. Whether the fears are major, such as health problems or financial issues, or they are minor, like spiders and snakes. Many of us try to plan our lives because we are constantly afraid that if things don't work out the way that we want them to and the result is constant stress and disappointment. We, as a people, need to work on this.

Because of our fear, we turn our trust and our hopes to things outside of us. We think that politicians, diets, books, relationships, a new outfit, a better job, etc. are the solutions to our problems. We think that something is going to swoop in and change the things that we perceive to be problematic. The problem is that we are scared that things aren't going to work out and placing our faith into things outside of us makes us feel a sense of control.

I have begun to realize that, in my life, the more I turn outward and try to control things, the worse they get. My life very quickly becomes a monstrous science experiment. If I let go, if I do the things I know to be right, then I find that things seem to fall into place. At the end of the day, I cannot control whether the plane I will be on is going to crash. I can't control the fact that spiders probably crawl into my mouth when I am asleep. I can go to work to make money, which eases my financial strain. I can go take vitamins, eat well, and exercise as a means of maintaining my health. I can only do so much, and if I waste my time in fear about the things that I cannot control then I am only hurting myself and my own experience.

Fear has permeated our culture on every level. It comes disguised as anger, regret, worry, and many other things but these are all merely vehicles. We must, as a people, learn to conquer this. We must begin to understand the things that we can control and we must begin the process of releasing the things that we cannot. We must take a long look at the things that we are doing that are rooted in fear and we must shift those things to a place of love.

I believe that most of us do not realize that we are living in fear. We have become really good at rationalizing our fears, giving them different names. We are well versed in being righteously indignant and explaining our emotions to those who may wonder, but we never take the time to really look at them ourselves. If we did, we would likely find that every negative feeling or thought that we might have was a result of fear-even when it is going by a different name.

I challenge you all, today, right now, or as soon as possible, to reflect on your fears. Reflect on your actions and the words that have left your mouth today, examine the things you have posted on Facebook or Instagram or on Twitter. Ask yourself if these things are rooted, in any way, in fear. How can you change them? Be honest, dig deep. Start to eliminate the fears from your life, start to change yourself, and start to see the magic that happens when you are not living in a dark haze.