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Squash Fears Power

Explainer video: Master Steenrod talks about the negative impact of fear on decisions and the freedom that kung fu can give you from fear.
Grim Reaper needs squashing

Transcription of Squash Fear's Power

Hello. This is Master Mike over at Water Mountain, Martial Arts and Health.

Let's talk today about the role 
that fear plays in the decision making process.

In general, when we make a decision and we 
feel fear, the decision that we make is poor. 

And the reason for that is, when we are making the decision,
we're selecting an option based 
on its ability to relieve us of  this pressure
of fear upon us, rather than 
making a decision that leads to the solution
of the problem, that's causing us 
to be afraid.

So, we relieve the sensation
rather than the source.

And that leads to solutions that 
are usually short term, because 
we're just trying to get out of 
feeling bad.

And that ultimately
defeats us, because that problem 
is still there. 

We just don't feel as bad about 
it as we did before.

Everybody and anybody can be caught in that 
situation. 

It's unpleasant to be in it. 

When you're the outsider and 
you're looking in at, let's, say, 
a friend making that decision,
it's usually very easy to see. 

You sit back and go, “Ok, you're 
not making the right decision.”

You're making this decision 
because you're afraid.

When you're the insider,
you can't necessarily see that it 
takes a great deal of effort to 
free yourself from fear when you're fully 
caught in, and to make the 
decision that moves independent 
of it (fear).

That's one of the reasons that 
when we are caught in, let's, 

say, a medical or legal 
situation, we hire an outside 
expert because we want that 
expert to come into that 
situation, and they're not 
necessarily carrying the burden 
of fear that we might be when under 
that type of threat.

Now Kung Fu provides us with a 
unique opportunity in that we have to deal with the 
fears that we bring in from our day to day world, 
from all around us. 

The fear of failure, the fear of 
looking foolish, the fear of 
not being good enough, 
of not measuring up,
the fear of not being able to 
continue with a thing that you've 
started, the fear of not being 
able to make your livelihood,
the big, long list of things that 
a person could possibly bring in
from the outside world.

Now we set goals very systematically, 
step by step, goals within practice,
in part so that one-- a person can 
achieve successfully,
and two, so that a person can 
navigate the fears that they 
bring in.

So here's this goal that's just, 
let's say, two steps up.

The thing that's in the way is the 
baggage that you bring in, 
that fear they bring.

You can achieve it. 

But the real challenge is 
overcoming the fear that prevents 
you from achieving that step.

Over time, goal after goal after 
goal, step after step,
you overcome fear more and more 
often, until overcoming fear 
becomes something that you can do,
and that's almost a habit for you 
that starts to generalize into
the outside world. 

What that means is suddenly you 
become willing to address outside 
issues that cause you fear.

Suddenly,
when you are seized by something 
that could induce fear, you set 
it aside and you go, “No, fear, 
I'm not going to listen to you 
right now.”

And you select options 
independent of fear.

It's one of the many benefits 
that come from systematic 
skilled training.

Remember,
spend a little time believing 
in yourself today and 
reinforcing that, because it's 
important.
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