Every situation has a silver lining – discover a mindset that heals and enlightens.
November 11, 2021 · 7 min read
What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds. ~ Wayne Dyer
Fears pull us away from our desires and groundbreaking achievements.
For that exact reason fear is the mind killer that limits us from our successes. A Sci-Fi masterpiece Dune has illustrated that very well.
However, this saying can be very well applied in our every day life and it basically reflects why people don’t manage to achieve what they want.
If you think about it, it’s a very valuable statement that sparks curiosity about its purpose and importance.
10 Signs your fear is the mind killer
Here you might find something that you can relate to why fear is the mind killer in your case:
- You hesitate to take action.
- You don’t want to leave your comfort zone.
- You constantly wonder “what if?..”
- You live in regrets.
- You listen to nay-sayers.
- You don’t trust yourself.
- You have a negative attitude towards new challenges.
- You are afraid of being judged by others.
- You fear of failures.
- You overthink.
What does “fear is the mind killer” mean?
Having a feeling of a threat and avoiding it means that fear is the mind killer. In other words, instead of facing a fear you run away from it.
Your fears don’t let your mind to explore the positives and the opportunities that a challenge provides you with. You instantly reject the possibilities on improving yourself so that you could protect yourself from any dangers or threats.
The importance of “Fear is the mind killer”
The saying “fear is the mind killer” teaches us that fear limits our mind in experiencing something new and challenging. Fears are the number one reason holding us back to explore ourselves to the full potential.
Therefore, only dedicated people can overcome their fears to challenge their minds. Understanding how fears limit your potential can be eye opening and allow you to get out of your comfort zone.
15 Reasons Fear Is The Mind Killer
1. Fear limits your potential
Fear is the mind killer because it limits your mind from achieving its full potential. Remember that mind is responsible for taking decisions and actions.
Whenever fear is too big, your mind limits your actions and you don’t know what it’s like to overcome the fear.
Fears are what make people stronger and reveal their full potential. Only through learning and experiencing new things we can grow and achieve greatness.
2. You don’t trust yourself
- Problem solving.
- Relationships.
- Well-being.
- Motivation and decision making.
If it happens that you face a situation when your fears are the mind killer, it also means that your self-esteem is too low. Obviously, you need to get a higher self-esteem.
Higher self-esteem is achieved mainly through acting more instead of overthinking. Proving your worthiness through actions unconsciously makes you trust yourself more and allows you to face bigger problems in life.
3. Fear makes you anxious and stressed
Anxiety and fear are very correlated.
Anxiety is a response to our emotions against any threats we are facing in the environment. Fear is the precursor of anxiety.
Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality. ~ Earl Nightingale
Anxiety and stress come mainly from the fear of not understanding. You might have troubles comprehending how much time it will take to achieve your goal, or you might not even know from where you should start your task.
All of this kill your mind and limit you from thinking bigger. You have to think big if you want to achieve something significant.
I’d highly suggest you watching this video about “Dune” and how fear transfers to our everyday life:
4. Fear provokes negative thinking
Fear is the mind killer because your mind gets stuck in a negative thinking loop. As a result, you can’t focus on the positive end and encourage your mind to start taking actions.
To overcome your negative mindset you have to:
- Don’t try to be perfect.
- Ask yourself if your fears are valid.
- Learn to say no.
- Don’t compare yourself with others.
- Be grateful for every opportunity.
In a sense you could say that negative thinking is the mind killer. To be fair, you wouldn’t be far from the truth – negative thinking is also what makes people fear of changing themselves.
5. Fear limits your creativity
Sometimes people experience severe fear which limits even their creative mind. They are afraid of exploring new ideas and thoughts.
It almost seems as if they’re stuck in the same thoughts and nothing will get them out of there.
Creativity is extremely important to see the big picture in life, boost your confidence, simplify your feelings and thoughts, and to help you solve problems easier.
Most importantly, creativity helps you to overcome uncertainty. That’s because creativity assists in creating new solutions and methods to your problems.
For example, creativity is a highly valuable character trait and skill for an engineering mindset. It helps to innovate new technologies and find solutions to the occurring problems.
6. Fear prevents you from achieving your dreams
Have you ever thought to achieve financial stability so you can do whatever you want in life?
Have you ever thought what is it like to have a group of caring friends that you are always looking forward to meet with?
Fear is the mind killer because it sets your mind in a cage. You can’t think further and look for solutions. The best way to cope with it is just by simply starting.
Creating a thorough plan of actions is the number one step to fulfill your dreams. All you need is to begin and trust the process.
7. Fear prevents positive outcomes
Fear is a double-edged sword – it creates negative outcomes and prevents the positive ones.
As a result, fear provokes certain negative outputs:
- Lack of persistence.
- Lack of discipline.
- Lack of courage and decisiveness.
If you would reverse fear and would embrace the positive outputs, you would see opposite results. Undoubtedly, fear is the mind killer in this case. It blocks you from all the good things in life.
The first step is to set positive intentions. It’s a solid foundation for positive outcomes.
8. Fear doesn’t let you explore
You must not fear otherwise you won’t be able to explore the opportunities that life offers you. If you will always live by saying “Fear is the mind killer”, you will never discover life that you deserve.
If constructive thoughts are planted positive outcomes will be the result. Plant the seeds of failure and failure will follow. ~ Sidney Madwed
Besides, you can’t run away from fear. If you try to run away from it, at least try to run to the direction of new opportunities.
Fear is a sure way to be unhappy and unfulfilled in life. Don’t let that happen to you.
9. Fear makes you stay in comfort zone
We all can agree that fear makes you stay in comfort zone.
If you really think about it, fear makes you miss the opportunity of enlarging your comfort zone, if that’s how you like to live.
It doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to always keep facing risks and fears. Doing it little by little will pivot your mind in the right direction to embrace new challenges and see them as not something frightening, but as fun activities.
10. Fear becomes part of your mind
If you stay in fears for too long, fear will definitely be your mind killer.
The reason for that is very simple – you start making decisions based on fears. You don’t raise your hand, you resist learning new skills, you trap yourself in your tiny life.
If you can’t predict something, you will be afraid of it. You will hesitate and won’t do it.
While you know that it might be better decision to risk it and experience something new, your mind simply doesn’t let you.
11. You sink in regrets
“What if?..”
“I wonder where I would be if I did that 10 years ago…”
The regrets are the outcome of fear that killed your mind in the past. Now the ideas of possibilities haunt you and you can’t get them out of your head.
Regretting is not a bad thing, but when it completely takes over your mind, then it’s not a good sign. As it was said in Dune “Fear is the little death”.
In either way, regret is a result of imbalanced thinking. Fears don’t align with your desires. You have to choose what is more important for you: fear or your desire.
12. Fear is overprotecting you
Just like parents tend to overprotect their children, fear is also protecting you. Though, fears overprotect you and limit your mind from exploring new possibilities.
Fear controls your actions. It wants to make sure you stay in your comfort zone and don’t do anything challenging.
Nevertheless, such behavior stunts your overall development. Ultimately, you have to let go fears if you want to become a better version of yourself.
13. Fear makes you compare with others
Another reason why fear is the mind killer is because you fall into a comparison trap. You start evaluating your life based on your peers’ achievements or skills.
This behavior is extremely toxic and certainly destroys your self-esteem. The comparison trap often comes from:
- Social media.
- Being aware that you’re not perfect.
- Inability to accept failures and mistakes.
- Fixed mindset.
Basically, you fall into the idea that “grass is greener on the other side”. People face a lot of difficulties and they vary person to person. The key is to focus on your own development.
14. Fear makes you scared being judged by others
Fear is the mind killer because you are perceiving criticism as a devastating occurrence. You believe everything you hear, you take everything very directly, which results in negative self-talk. You start devaluing yourself.
You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be. ~ Marianne Williamson
Instead of taking criticism as an opportunity for self-growth, you take it as a fixed opinion that can’t be changed. You take it like a physics fact which is never changing.
You root the criticism in your “emotional brain” and think based on emotions instead of your mind.
15. You don’t accept your imperfections
Finally, the perfectionist living in you may be the cause behind the conviction that the fear is the mind killer.
Perfectionists believe that the only way to be happy is to achieve the perfection. Inability to live with yourself and your imperfections signal that you are afraid of being vulnerable and accept who you are.
The only way to overcome it is to let go of your perfectionism and accept that nobody is perfect. No one cares about you more than you do.
Final Words From Delightful Mindset
There’s no doubt that the saying “Fear is the mind killer” is said for a reason. Fear traps us in our minds and doesn’t let us to think broader and open ourselves up to new opportunities.
Sci-Fi masterpiece “Dune” certainly teaches us an important lesson to let go the fear and do the things that feel right.
You will not fear if you open your mind widely and embrace new challenges. It couldn’t be more true that “Fear is the little death”. You start losing yourself when you fall into cage of fears.
So, don’t let that happen to you and embrace the best version of yourself.