Fearless
Fearless
In December, as some of you know, I spoke at the Fearless Holiday World Summit, which is a part of the One Woman/1Girl organization. They foster and enable women and girls to have impact in their communities in developing areas.
You can check out my talk "The Peace We Already Have" here on our new Live Your Alive Life YouTube channel.
It was a great experience and a lot of fun. However, I got to thinking about what people mean when they talk about being fearless or even what people think fear is.
Most of the time, I hear people speaking from a place that assumes that fear is inherent in everyday life and/or that life is inherently hard, but if we develop the proper mindset and skills, we can overcome our harsh environment.
Except...
This is one of those occasions where I feel like I'm pointing out that the Emperor Has No Clothes. And everyone thinks he actually does!
Fear, as we usually think of it, is more of a psychological fear rather than an actual awareness of danger. These both feel quite different. In dangerous situations, it's very common to feel no fear until the action is done and you have time to think about it.
Psychological fear is what we generally mean when we speak of being fearless.
That fear, anxiety, unease, tension, stress or whatever we call it is 100% a product of our thinking in the moment. There's nothing wrong with feeling fear. It's just that rarely do people know that it's optional.
From the realization that fear is always and only ever telling you about your internal state and is never telling you about the external world, you can slow down, and it will dissipate on its own.
As long as we attribute our feeling to something outside of ourselves, it will persist because our mind will want to fix it, and it can't. It's simply a signal that we are overthinking. Like the signal to drink water or eat food.
A mentor of mine loves to say that fear is a kindness of the design. It is a clear signal that we are overthinking, spinning too fast, not present, caught up in our thinking. She says she puts her hand over her heart and whispers "shhh, shhh" to herself. I find I like this. It's true and simple and feels nice to pat my heart.
Once you feel fear dissolve simply by attributing it correctly, it's addictive. You then become truly fearless. No techniques or mindset required. In fact, all those things get in the way.
You start to feel like a kid again.
Life becomes a playground.
Joy is natural. And so is fearlessness.
With Love,
Sara Joy
Upcoming Events
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We are hosting our annual Immersion Retreat at Ignatius Jesuit Centre on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Mark your calendars to join us for an expansive day of peace and joy.
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