Live a Life Free of Fear

Tara and Kevin incinerating fear.

The mind is such a wild contribution to our lives. Depending on which way we direct the mind, or which way the mind directs us, it determines how fully we will experience life living in this amazing body.

Our mind has the capacity to hold us back from living full out, and we all know this to be true from experience. It is called FEAR.

Fear creeps into our head as a way for our mind to keep us safe. But the irony of it all is wondrous. The mind can, and will if given the opportunity, come up with countless of reasons why we should hold back from living full out.

The story I am about to share is inspired from my holiday to the Mainland last month, where I faced this fear at an indoor trampoline center. Yet my story can be related to all areas of your life.

“Shall I listen to the fear, play small, or should I get bigger than my fear and try something huge?”

This is how I handled:

“The Mind Only Wishes To Protect You From The Worst Possible Outcome. Envision The BEST Possible Outcome Instead.”

I had a great desire in my heart to do a double front flip into the foam pit. Oh, the fun this would be! It would be exciting, energizing, wild and fun to zip through space like this!

But my mind wanted to keep me safe. It was saying things like, “If you open too early you could maybe snap a knee, and if you don’t make it all the way around you could maybe snap your neck.” The inner dialogue didn’t stop there, it wanted to create more stories like if the unspeakable craziness like that did happen, what that would mean, etc.

Wow, the mind is so dang creative!

But there was another part of me that really, really wanted to go for it. I mean really, although I signed a waiver and landing head first could be deadly, the probability of that happening was slim to none. But oh, did my mind wanted fight that argument.

I had a moment of clarity that I wanted to do this and that the only way for me to do it was to put myself into a 100 percent certain state of being. Shoots, I walked across 2,000 degree, burning coals last year by changing and owning my state, a double front flip into foam should be cake!

There was only one thing for me to do. Get myself into a peak state where I was bigger, way, way, way bigger than my fear, and with 100 percent certainty go for it!

And I did.

And it rocked!

Samanta Fox Olson

Your mental state determines your quality of life so put yourself in state.

Oh, the exhilaration of double flipping in the air again! Yahooo!!! I use to be a gymnast 22 years ago. And I guess you can take the girl out of the gymnastics club but not the training out of the body.

However, without the mind being trained to let the body be the amazing miracle it can be, then the body will never get to fully play as designed. And I am not OK with that being the standard for my life.

You are capable of incinerating fear and playing full out. The benefits of that include enjoying a life where you get to be the boss. You feel empowered to live your life, without holding back.

• Samantha Fox Olson hosts yoga and fitness retreats and teaches on the North Shore of Kaua‘i. Visit http://kauaiyogaandfitness.com to stretch beyond your fear and reach your fitness goals.