Live Life Fearlessly

Living life without fear is like breathing without air. It is not possible. Fears will come. Fear shows up when the bill money is low but the bills are high. It's there when the doctor says she's sending your x-rays to a colleague to take a closer look. It rears its ugly head when the layoffs you have heard were coming...arrive.

Fear accomplishes many things in the lives of men, women, and children: anger, resentment, disobedience, violence, greed, theft, adultery, jealousy, hate, and a multitude of other destructive emotions. Our lives and relationships are damaged - sometimes beyond repair - when we allow fear to have free rein; to go unchecked. But it does not have to be this way. There is a way which leads to peace in the midst of even the most pressing and immediate fears.

That way is anchored in your faith in God, but there's more to it. I know plenty of God-'fearing' folks who are as tormented by the fears of this world as anyone. What separates my life and view from theirs?

The answer is found in the sure knowledge of WHY am I here on this planet. Fortified by my faith in God, I have taken the time to dig deeply into what makes me, me. Long sessions of self-examination successfully enabled by a foundation of prayer have revealed my design. Design? Yes...design. You see we are more skillfully crafted than anything we ourselves are able to design and manufacture.

Amazing software powering programs we call artificial intelligence are yet primitive when compared the brilliant complexity of the human being. The part of you which is not defined by your skin, eye, or hair color; your height or weight; your education or beliefs (or lack thereof), is unique to you. In teaching my D.E.E.D.S. curriculum I point my audiences to an undeniable fact - there is a reason there aren't six billion doctors on the planet. Not everyone wants to be a doctor!

We are all unique, masterpieces of design. Some of us are designed to be doctors, others to be pilots, still others to be movie critics. What is your design? What activity has always fascinated you? What were you known for as a child? What did you want to do no matter what other children wanted to do?

In my book, Be Known For Your DEEDS, I provide seven case studies of individuals who enjoy varying levels of financial success today (and nine traits they share), but who are all living a satisfying life based on following their intrinsic design. Back to the interplay with faith in God....

When you come to the realization there is a concrete reason why you are on this planet, and that you are uniquely designed to achieve the destiny for which you were created, there is little that will scare you away from so important a mission. Those who try to dissuade you based upon their own ignorance, and attempt to de-value your existence are to be ignored. YOU are created in the image of God, and are not the result of freakish, random chance!

YOU are here by plan and design. But why? Only you can discern that, and it is vital that you do. Destiny and a life to be lived fearlessly are waiting, but what about those nasty fears lurking in the mailbox, on the job, in the economy, not to mention the phobias which can paralyze us (fear of heights, confined spaces, the dark, death, snakes, spiders, etc.)?

Fear, no matter the name we assign to the symptom, stands in the way of your destiny and provokes you to turn back. Fear stands in the way of a life with great meaning, value and quality. It will be faith in the God who created you, and the will you demonstrate to define your passion in life (intrinsic design), that will eradicate fear as a threat. It may still rise up, but it will be ignored, dealt with, and/or handled because it no longer controls you. You now control your emotional responses and have become free to live the life to which you are called and were born!

Fearlessly,
JD

Be Known for Your DEEDS is available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com

No Fear Here!

At a time in U.S. history when the Depression had reeked havoc upon this great nation, Franklin Roosevelt, the President of the United States said, in his inaugural address, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  In the life of a professional speaker, a Soccer Mom taking the podium at a PTA meeting, a Little League Coach addressing parents before the first practice, a department head stepping to the Board Room lectern, or new member at a Toastmasters club, there is fear.

We can all glibly say that we are fearless, and that is in fact how I bill myself, The Fearless Speaker.  My first blog is entitled the same.  But when the time comes to deliver to an audience, no matter how seasoned or polished we may become, that fear will try to invade our peace.

For me the fear is small indeed, but the tiniest morsel of that dread emotion will yet try to unsettle the most established and credible orators.  For those of you who believe yourselves to be more prone to the attack than most, rest assured we all face this nasty little demon.  And you can likewise rest assured that you are able to defeat fear as easily as I do.  It's all in your preparation.

The Two Keys to Speaking Success, as previously blogged, is your sure foundation.  Confidence in yourself and your message, buoyed by solid practice sessions, will get you ready to present.  The balance of preparation is divided between knowledge of the venue, an understanding of your audience, great knowledge of the material you will present, and time spent practicing.  Did I mention how important practice is??

If the remarks I am to deliver are not rehearsed (practice, practice) so that I know them backwards and forwards, I leave room for the seeds of doubt and fear to creep in.  If I have not taken the time to familiarize myself with the venue, its location, the acoustics (if possible), or to otherwise find out all I can about where I will speak, there's room for doubt and fear.  It would seem ridiculous to speak to an audience with whom you are completely unfamiliar!  Surprisingly, speakers take the stage every day with a canned speech expecting it to play well no matter the crowd.  Oops!  Know your audience.

You can limit the amount of stage fright you feel.  You can control the level of fear.  You can be, as far as anyone would ever know...fearless.  Victory is found in your preparation.

Fearlessly,
JD