"Kill Fear Before Fear Kills You" a book I will share a review on
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"Kill Fear Before Fear Kills You" is a book I devoted to my February as February read and it indeed has helped me discover the courage within me, the book was written by J.P. Vaswani (2006) It contains eight chapters and 7 practical suggestions on how to deal with and overcome fears.
You will agree with me that everyone has encountered fears in one area of their life or the other and even tomorrow, we still encounter fears, but what matters is how we deal with them, it's either we let fear overcome us or we overcome it.
Spoiler Alert
The book starts by analyzing humans and the foundation of our fears, as human, fear is part of us but it is never mean't to dominate us.
Fear Can Corrode You
The author describes how fear can stop us from achieving much in our day-to-day business of life as psychiatrists, pastors, counselors, and spiritual elders have confirmed that the general level of fear among people is on the increase, and it seems to extend across all walks of life and to all kinds of people.
Is the logic of fear truly illogical?
I quite agree with the author because,
Looking around today, we are quite afraid of a lot, we are afraid of losing our jobs - but we are afraid to go out to seek new positions, we are afraid to die, and yet we are afraid to live because life has become so complicated, risky and insecure, So many young women are afraid of marriage as they feel that they would lose their identity- but the idea of remaining single makes them feel insecure!
"A ship in the harbor is safe", goes the saying but that is not what ships are built for"
Life is for us to live.
Life Takes courage
To live a full life, according to God's plan, to live purposefully and meaningfully requires courage. Life demands of us that we live with courage, as Winston Churchill considered courage to be the greatest of all virtues - because we cannot exhibit any other virtue without it. I agree with the author on this because, without the courage to act, justice would be impossible, without the courage to endure, faith and hope would not flourish!
Where the mind is without fear…. That is where the land of freedom lies. Fear and freedom cancel out each other. If you are afraid, you cannot be free. And courage can liberate you from the clutches of fear.
What Is Fear?
Fear is a painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil or the apprehension of impending danger.
According to the author, fear is natural to human beings in many situations. It teaches us to be cautious; it fosters our sense of self-preservation. It helps us create safeguards for ourselves. It is what keeps us safe and secure.
We accept our fears as 'normal' fears or 'founded' fears when the fear is in proportion to the degree of danger in a situation. But if the fear response is out of proportion to the danger, it becomes an abnormal fear or phobia.
Recognizing Fear
Fear is not only present In us - it seems to exist in the very fabric of our institutions. The stigma of failure makes us lose faith in ourselves. The author labels five basic types of fears as identified by Dr. Forrest Church
Freight- or distinctive fear that is associated with the body, and designed to protect us from physical danger.
Worry - is fear produced out of what we call our "worst imaginations"
Guilt - is nothing but fear arising out of a troubled conscience
Insecurity - is associated with emotions, it is fear prompted by feelings of inadequacy
Dread - is fear generated by the fundamental uncertainty of life
Faith gives courage
This chapter talks about how We should always have the consciousness that we are not alone, there's a greater power. we should not forget our childlike spirit, to be childlike is to rejoice in life, to love and laugh, to be free from care and anxiety.
We need to become children again, friendly and loving towards all never fearful, never insecure.
How To Conquer Fear
The mind is its own place, and in itself, can create a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven _Milton
The mind can create strife and conflict; it can also create peace. If we are to live a life of peace and freedom from fear, we must discover peace within ourselves.
We must be fearless in the mind within.
It is no easy task to still the mind. How true! A mind that is wandering and restless is like a disturbed lake; waves are constantly rising on its surface, and it cannot reflect the stillness of the sky. When we control our thoughts, we still the mind - and it becomes capable of beautiful, elevating reflections - reflections of the Divine light within us.
The author went ahead to also share stories and witnesses of the great ones, he told faith stories of some Buddhists, Muhammad, Jesus, Gurus, and even Mahatma Gandi and ended with book with some practical suggestions for overcoming fear, which I will be sharing below but i won't go in details because I will love for you to pick up the book
Practical suggestions 1 - Nothing is as bad as fear itself. Being afraid is the worst thing that can happen to you;
Practical suggestion 2 - Cultivate the will to be free of tear
Practical suggestion 3 - Never forget that fear is a kind of Atheism
Practical suggestion 4 - Remember that with God all things are possible
Practical suggestion 5 - Learn to relax in God's presence so that you can receive His power
Practical suggestion 6 - Don't be afraid of what may happen tomorrow
Practical suggestion 7 - Go out of your way to bring help and comfort others
Therefore I urge you in the memorable words of Sadhu Vaswani: Give! Give! Give! And you will be. Abundantly blessed with the peace and joy that passeth - indeed, surpassed - understanding.
I will rate the book 7/10, as I also urge you to give it a read
P.s, this is my first book review here🤗🤗 how do you like it?
All pictures are taken by my phone camera
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