I’m so blessed to have a career in which I get to travel all over the world speaking with amazing people and seeing beautiful places. Along with my travels comes the reality of airport security lines and screenings. Sometimes quick, but often inconvenient, airport screenings have become an accepted and necessary part of our travel process. We all accept the security screening and the inconvenience of it because it is a system that is in place to protect us. It is designed to protect us from terrorists and evils that will harm or hinder our lives.

 

But now that we have all accepted the need for security checkpoints to protect us from terrorist people meaning us harm, what security system do you have for yourself to guard you from the very real, terrorizing thoughts and fears that hinder you and bring your life to a halt?

 

Protect yourself! Why let those terrorist thoughts run through your mind free and clear of any security checkpoint? Why let them continue to keep you from living your dream? Why let those terrorizing fears keep you stuck in a bad relationship, or job, or any other condition?

 

If I have learned anything about fear it’s that fear has no substance to it. It’s a mental projection of something that has not yet happened. What we call fear is actually pain arising from the expectation that something bad will happen.

 

What if instead of running from it like you always have, you make the empowered choice to face it? You would strip away the exaggerated expectations and would instead be left with the real components of the situation. Make the terrorizing fear pass through a security checkpoint in your mind. Face it and make it accountable. Ask yourself, “What is true about this situation?” Look at the fear and terrorizing thought on all sides and dissect it so that you can understand its root. This will disarm it and will help you use the fear as an empowering tool instead of a petrifying prison.

© Steve Maraboli

Security Checkpoint - Steve Maraboli

From the book, “Life, the Truth, and Being Free