HOW TO MAKE FEAR YOUR FRIEND
EPISODE #14 | MEERA LEE PATEL
Do you find fear gripping you and holding you back? Do you feel you are living a tiny life? Today’s guest, Meera Lee Patel will help you make fear your friend so you can let it be your compass and source of encouragement.
Meera Lee Patel – writes bestselling books that help explain who we are. She is a self-taught writer and artist from the east coast living and working in Nashville, Tennessee.
Meera is interested in exploring the intricacies of human connection, and uses her work to unearth the small yet vibrant stories found in everyday life.
Meera Lee Patel is self-taught artist and writer who believes that anything is possible. She is the author of “My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown” a beautiful meditation on fear and how it can help us become who we really are–if we let it.
She is also the author of two journals: “Made Out of Stars, a journal for self-realization” that encourages the belief that we are already whole. “Start Where You Are” is a journal for self-exploration that is designed to help others understand that the answers they are seeking are contained within themselves.
She is currently a columnist at Spirituality & Health, where she writes and draws about mental health.
TODAY WE WILL LEARN HOW TO
Choose multiple creative lanes
Let fear be your guide and source of encouragement
Take more chances
Figure out who you really are – when no one is looking
Know that there are always better things ahead
Practice. Practice. Practice.
TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS
Don’t compromise or cut back on your passions and dreams just because the world is telling you to choose a lane. If you are interested in many things, listen to your heart and do the things YOU want to do.
Lean in and feel what you feel. Let it teach you more about yourself. What is your brain actually saying? What is your heart saying? What is your body saying? Because when you are in communication with yourself – all of you can be in harmony.
When you go to make a decision, ask yourself WHY you are doing it. And if you are making the decision for the right reasons, then criticism hurts much much less, because you will be standing on the solid ground of who you are, and doing something that you believe in.
Practice. Nothing is a “flip the switch” and all of a sudden your set for life.
Try these things if you feel a little bit confused and disjointed: meditation, journal with morning pages, exercise and last but not least – learn how to get curious and ask yourself questions about how you are feeling. Because knowledge truly is power. The more you know about yourself, the more you can take actions that reflect your values and that will truly help you get where you want to go.
Know that there are always better things ahead. If we weren’t so afraid of losing or missing out, then maybe it would be easier for us to take more chances and try new things and just be more open people.
We can be so afraid of impermanence and change that we resolve to stay in the same place forever. We should not be in a state of constant self-preservation if that state of self-preservation is keeping us in a tiny tiny life.
Who are you when you are no longer surrounded by familiar people and a familiar environment? When you are no longer hindered by the expectations of people and who they want you to be? Find and embrace opportunities to not be surrounded by familiarity so you can find your voice and be who you actually are.
Your fear is telling you what you actually want. It is telling you what your values are. It is telling you what is important to you. Yes, it’s trying to protect you, but it is also trying to help you really uncover who you are underneath it all. And it can be a source of support and encouragement, just like your strong relationships are.
Identify when YOU are stopping yourself and not giving yourself permission. The person you want to be, begins and ends with you.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Meera’s Book: Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration
Meera’s Book: My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown
Meera’s Book: Made Out of Stars: A Journal for Self-Realization
FIND OUR GUEST HERE
Meera’s Book: Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration
Meera’s Book: My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown
Meera’s Book: Made Out of Stars: A Journal for Self-Realization
GET REAL: PONDERINGS TO PROPEL YOU FORWARD
Who are you when you are no longer surrounded by familiar people and a familiar environment?
Who are you when you are no longer hindered by the expectations of people and who they want you to be?
