That's my take on Fear but here's some notable and famous quotes:

"Our deepest Fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest Fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us." Nelson Mandella from his inaugural speech

And one of most insightful figures of all time sums up Fear in his normally humoristic manner:

"I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." Mark Twain

Perhaps most famous quote of all about Fear, and one that hits home hardest with me, is this:

"The only thing we have to Fear is Fear itself." Franklin D. Roosevelt

I will continue along thoughts of what is a most profound truth about Fear:

"To live with Fear and not be afraid is final test of maturity." Edward Weeks

The reason I decided to use "quotes" throughout this article is to fortify fact that Fear is nothing but an Illusion. It is imagined, as a dream is. But at least we wake up from a dream. Most people fall into Fear and remain frozen in its giant grasp all their lives! They either live in a constant state of paralyzing Fear or they have lowered their expectations to a level that they never feel Fear because they have "learned" not to risk and grow. How sad!

Fear is minds great mortal sin.

And isn't it just at times when you have to risk something, that you Fear? Think about it! You've had a great idea but you don't tell a soul because you're afraid THEY won't think it's great. You've had long time aspirations to change careers but you cower at mere thought of getting out of your Comfort Zone and out from under safety net you've created for yourself (your job, your security, your routine). You've always wanted to start a business but thought of putting together a business plan, getting financing and unknown quantity of income you'll receive scares hell out of you!

How many opportunities have you allowed to slip by because you were frozen by Fear?

Do you know more about things you Fear than things you desire?

Is Fear of failure your biggest Fear of all?

Recognizing Fear!

Not a single person has ever accomplished anything of significance without first feeling scared to death!

You recognize your own tell tale signs of Fear. Might be a knot in your gut. Or a high state of anxiety. A flood of negative thoughts rush in and all reasons NOT to do something hover over you like an ominous black cloud! The truth is, behind that cloud lay bright beautiful sunlight ready to nourish and grow your idea.

Fear is a loaded gun squarely aimed to slay you and all your potential. You need to be on-guard every waking moment to deflect invisible bullet.

"Fear is oldest and strongest emotion of mankind." H. P. Lovecraft

Fear is cancer of human spirit.

Confronting Fear!

Katherine inhaled deeply and said, "You have to admit it: Bakersfield really is beautiful."

How many times had I looked at that same view and compared it with other bluffs: ones that I perceived to be far more pleasing to my eyes?

I blocked beauty that Katherine saw.

All I tuned into was oil fields with their derricks and trucks and criss crossing roadways connecting well to well. From my perspective it most closely resembled barrenness of moon. I longed for views from my childhood bluffs which opened onto Pacific Ocean.

In flash of a moment, my perspective changed as I turned my heart towards both my daughter and community I call home. I allowed myself to stretch and see from Katherine's viewpoint. My heart gently turned.

I smiled and responded, "You are right, Katherine. Bakersfield IS beautiful."

Last night I did something that took a lot of courage. I made a phone call to my oldest brother to see if he would be interested in partnering with me on a project. We rarely speak these days, something that leaves a void in my life. I decided to step up to plate, all while acknowledging that outcome of conversation could be almost anywhere imaginable.

Our conversation started out well, with me being a combination of little goofy sister and professional entrepreneurial woman. Then it happened. I felt a shift.

Something in his words told me he was not seeing or hearing my perspective.

My words stopped flowing, little sister and professional entrepreneur flew off phone line and were replaced by a confused, tongue tied stranger.

In next moment, something very intriguing happened. My brother said, "I hope you prove me wrong. Then you can laugh at me for making wrong decision."

I became fully myself when I spoke words, "Nahhh, I would never laugh at you."

Quicker than words were spoken, I was overtaken with emotion. It was in that moment I realized how far I had come. I had known that I was taking a risk in making call. I knew that he might not see vision that I held. And I knew that no matter what happened, everything would be exactly as it was meant to be.

As I spoke those words, "I would never laugh at you," my heart turned towards my brother. And then he turned his heart subtly towards me. He started asking me questions about my project. Specific, direct questions.