Adventures in Intermittent Fasting: V.1 E.6

From my experience, there are five basic human fears. Pretty much any and all negative emotions, conflicts, and desires stem from these in one way or another. The key is to learn to recognize these, and then lean into them to truly find yourself happy and successful. They are:

• Fear of extinction: this one is pretty simple. Whether someone is willing to admit it or not, everyone is afraid fo death in one way or another. Coming to terms with that might actually be the largest mission one faces in life. Some people do this with their faith; some, with their lifestyle. How you handle it probably reflects your personal outlook on life. When you lean into this, you realize that life is precious, and simply being alive is something to celebrate.
• Fear of mutilation: When I first considered this one, I kid of thought it was funny, but it makes sense. Obviously, no one wants to lose a body part, or generally be injured, but this informs the need – or lack thereof – to seek dangerous activities – that probably ties in with the last one, as well. There’s an inherent fear of doing something very dangerous, yet actually doing so provides an incredible rush. Thus, you find “daredevils”, who never seem to be satisfied with the levels of adrenaline pulsing through their systems. When you lean into this, you’ll likely find yourself experiencing some of the most fun things you can imagine.
• Fear of separation: This one takes on a lot of forms. It can be rejection, or divorce, or even simply conflict of any kind. No matter how it’s exhibited, this is the one that most frequently freezes someone on a day-to-day basis. The desire to avoid separation often keeps us from being direct, and in turn, our relationships are either unfulfilling, or generally shallow. When you lean into this, you find you’re a more dynamic personality, and your relationships benefit in every way.
• Fear of loss of autonomy: We all have that boss that we just can’t stand; or maybe it’s a friend who just a bit too bossy; perhaps a parent? Even a child can sometimes make us fear for loss of control. That drive to control things is clearly much greater for some than others, but at some point, we all want to be able to make our own decisions, in at least one way or another. Remember when you were a kid? Absolutely EVERYTHING you parents told you to do was the worst thing in the history of the world, not because it was bad for you, or even necessarily because it was terribly un-fun or boring – it simply wasn’t what you wanted to do. The key here is to simply realize that everyone has the same fear, and that some things are both out of your control, and completely un-worthy of your care. When you lean into this, you begin to understand what it truly worth fighting for, and what is not.
• Fear of ego-death: Oh, the old ego – possibly the greatest (and often most hilarious) of personal traits. The desire to avoid humiliation will drive folks to do many extreme, ridiculous things, like say…avoid social interactions at all costs…or drink everything in sight to lower inhibition, and then wear a lamp shade as a hat….or the worst – completely hide or change who they are because of the FEAR of being judged. Judgement is truly a weak trait, and anyone who outwardly judges, inwardly lacks. Keep that in mind. When you lean into this, you and the world truly experience who you are, and everyone is better for it.

Out of those five fears, I believe there are five rules which can be drawn:

1. Love yourself. 
2. Judgement is for the weak.
3. You are alive. Be grateful.
4. NEVER worry about something which is out of your control.
5. No other human being should ever have control over your level of happiness.

I honestly believe that if someone observes these on a daily basis, one’s experience in life instantly becomes better.

As a quick update on my Intermittent Fasting efforts, I must tell you that the past few weeks have been TOOOUUUGGGHH. SXSW and Spring Break always hits hard, but this week has been even harder, considering where the week began, and the progress I had made to that point. Things always seem to come back to the same thing: All things in moderation. I don’t have a whole lot else to contribute, but that preparing for experiences like Spring Break properly is a much better idea than just “winging” it, and having to then recover from it.

That’s all for today. Pretty short, and I know there isn’t much in the way of “funny” today, but that’s intentional. As always, hit me with your questions and comments!!

-SB