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Since the times are stirring up fear in life, let’s address it and remove it from our lives!

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Working with Fear

Let’s dive into fear to learn how to grow beyond fear.

“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.”

– W. Clement Stone

When I write a post, I ask myself three things:

1) What do I see my students and dragons facing now?

At the moment, I see many people working around fear.

2) How does this topic touch me at this moment?

Strangely, I feel no fear in this moment of history. I should feel some right now. However, since I have been cultivating a fearless mindset since 2001, I don’t have any fear regarding our times. Instead, I am focusing on finding paths that promote growth in life.

3) What is the heart-based solution to the problem?

Teaching personal empowerment. I have the luxury of being within my power for many reasons. If you were to remove my power, I would feel fear. For example, I feel fear from surprises that pop up occasionally. I quickly apply the three-treasure resiliency process to my situation when that happens.

The first trap of fear is that it removes a person’s action. Without action, we decay in life. Face fear with proactive actions to diminish it. Also, focusing only on survival removes your actions, so be careful not only to hunker down to survive our times.

“Do the thing you fear most, and the death of fear is certain.”

– Mark Twain

The second trap of fear is to divide us and separate people from working together.

Up front, it’s time to face fear together. I formed the dragon community so we wouldn’t be alone in these times. We do have each other, so reach out, and work with others.

Fear is a natural, instinctive response to danger or uncertainty. It’s your mind and body’s way of protecting you from harm. While fear can keep a person away from problems, it also often holds you back from actions that let you live a full life.

Here is a link to one of Julie’s favorite movies: Cold Comfort Farms, all about breaking people out of old patterns and fear.

Living fearlessly doesn’t mean never feeling fear; it means not letting fear remove growth-based options for your life. Here are some ways to cultivate a fearless mindset:

• Understand Your Fears – Take time to identify what you’re afraid of and why. Many fears are rooted in past experiences, societal conditioning, or self-doubt.
• Reframe Fear as Growth – Fear often arises when you step outside your comfort zone. Instead of seeing it as a stop sign, see it as a signal that you’re growing.
• Take Small Steps – Fear shrinks when you face it in small doses. Start by confronting little fears and gradually work your way up.
• Shift Your Perspective – Instead of thinking, What if I fail? ask yourself, What if I succeed? Reframing your mindset helps reduce fear’s power.
• Act Despite Fear – Courage isn’t the absence of fear but taking action in spite of it. The more you act, the less fear will paralyze you.
• Trust Yourself – Build confidence in your ability to handle whatever comes your way. Self-trust weakens fear’s grip.
• Embrace Uncertainty – Life is unpredictable, and that’s okay. Letting go of the need for complete control helps dissolve fear.
• Surround Yourself with Support – Fear thrives in isolation. Having a strong support system—friends, mentors, or a community—can encourage you to push past fear.
• Practice Mindfulness – Being present in the moment reduces anxious thoughts about the future, which is where most fears live.
• Visualize Success – Imagine yourself confidently facing and overcoming your fears. Visualization helps rewire your brain for courage.

Pick one option and focus on that process for yourself. For myself, I am focusing on using growth to counteract fear.

Fear undercuts a person to be less. This means love is an excellent response to fear since love is to be more. It makes sense that we run to those we love when facing fear.

“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn.”

– Marianne Williamson

Global Fears vs Individual Fears

Global fear was what inspired me to write this post. I am seeing people shut themselves down over global fears.

We have to learn how to face fears in two different ways. Why? Because we are both individuals and social beings interconnected with countless others in life.

We might dismiss fear as an individual only to be reinfected by it from others around us. Yes, fear can be transmitted like a disease. Once a group gets caught up in fear, fear tears a group apart over time.

Twilight Zone: Monsters on Maple Street

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

On December 7th, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt knew the nation’s greatest challenge was falling under the spell of fear upon the Pearl Harbor attack.

With one sentence, he pulled an entire country out of the spell itself. He actually declared fear to be the enemy! This helped break the spell of national fear at that moment in time. You can do this on a personal level to help minimize fear.

Let’s focus on today now. I was curious about the greatest fears in 2025. In doing research, I found the global fears were very consistent.

• Rogue America, problems in the Middle East, cascading clashes in Mexico, conflict between China and the US, North Korean aggression, climate tipping point, storms and wildfires, AI going out of control, Russia being Russia, economic collapse, WWIII, and cybersecurity hacking.

One point is interesting: None of these fears are new! They have been around for a while. The trap is making global fears personal and then hunkering down to do nothing. Meanwhile, while everyone is hunkering down, the billionaires grab away your power.

Personal fear is not the same as global-level fear. The lesson is to de-tangle the two sources of fear. We pay attention to global fears only to see if there are any actions we need to take on a personal level. Surprisingly, for most of the global fears just listed, we only need to respond by being better in our daily lives.

When I asked AI what fears were most likely to happen in 2025, it responded:

• AI Disrupting Job: This is already happening; expect more layoffs in 2025. Keep in touch with your workplace to be forewarned of layoffs. Be proactive in developing your job skills and learning how to use AI.
• Climate-Related Crises: Heatwaves, floods, and wildfires are inevitable. While you can be proactive by moving to places less likely to be impacted by climate change, such as Duluth, Minnesota, let’s be honest: most of us can’t easily relocate, which means we all will have to make lifestyle changes to adapt to the new normal.
• Cyberattacks & AI-Driven Disinformation: Stay on top of your computer security and back up your data. Curate your information sources and minimize your news feed to match your lifestyle.
• Economic Uncertainty: Well, this fear sucks with no simple answer. Invest carefully, be fiscally wise, and live as simply as possible to dance around the tariffs and inflation.
• Political Instability: Support politicians you trust and get as involved as you feel safe to do in the current situation.

The real point is this: don’t let global fears paralyze you to stop your actions! For example, WWIII has been a global fear my entire life; I am not going to stop living vibrantly after 62 years of living vibrantly. And here is the funny truth: we are actually on WWV; most people missed WWIII (the Cold War, where millions did die in the various smaller wars and genocides) and WWIV (the war on terror that lasted 20 years).

So release global fears, examine your personal fears, and use them to grow into a stronger life.

Here is an additional article I wrote about Working with fear long ago. The article approaches fear in alternative manner to treat fear as a negative potential.

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