I came up with the idea that we are the flame of a candle, and the troubles/negativity of the world is the wind. We were meant to lead and light the way for others, but many of us are so fearful of our flame being blown out. When you instill fear into your life, it plays the role of a barrier/obstacle that will stop you in your tracks. Whatever you are working towards will be tremendously more challenging if you instill fear and worry into your life. The way to combat that is to fight the feeling of fear, worry, doubt, dread, and insecurity with a proven method. In this blog, I want to share that method with you so that your candle can burn unwavering through any storm you might find yourself in.

The candle is a representation of the life you have. I remember, in the early years of my teaching career, reading a quote on how teachers are like a candle. What I was fascinated about was that a teacher’s purpose is to light the way for their students until they burn out. The quote is almost bittersweet in the sense that a teacher spends their life cultivating the young minds of the next generation until the day they leave this earth. If you have been a teacher in any capacity, then you are aware that it is not an easy job. I know there was a time when parents thought that teachers were just glorified babysitters, but as time progressed and schooling evolved to be done remotely, parents finally understood the challenges teaching offers.

Like that teacher who is burning the candle at both ends of the wick, so are we. We might be stressed because of work, relationships, finances, or health reasons, and it causes us to lose focus. We lose focus on more than our goals and ambition when we are filled with negative thoughts. That negativity eventually evolves into something greater, fear. That fear we feel becomes an anchor in our lives, and we find it hard to move. I recall my days teaching as a swim coach and having the kids jump in the pool from the deep end. Though the kids knew how to swim on the shallow side, the thought of being on the deep side filled them with dread. The fear of the unknown and lack of confidence in their abilities caused the students to freeze up and hesitate. So how does someone overcome fear and doubt in their life?

The way we overcome fear is that we must realize that we are stronger than any “wind”(fear) that threatens to blow us out. If you think of a candle on a birthday cake, then you know it is a managed flame that can easily be blown out. What my swim students realized was that their flame was bigger and stronger than any wind that could jeopardize their well-being. Though they may have had some fear at the moment, they would soon come to a realization that the fear they felt had vanished. Once the first jump was complete, that student would ask to jump again and again into the pool from the deep end until they were exhausted. The student replaced the space where fear/caution once resided with courage/delight. I would ask them after the lesson if jumping into the deep end was scary, and they would reply, “It was so easy.” I would go on to say how brave they were as the icing on the cake to solidify their constitution so that next time when asked to jump into the pool, there was no hesitation. These students left the lessons with a mind brimming with confidence and a mindset that they had the power to do anything in the world.

Sharing moments like that with students reminded me that we were meant to conquer any fear in our life. Yes, there are things we might get nervous about or regret, but allowing fear to threaten the constitution of our flame cannot happen. I have seen fear stop and kill more dreams than there are stars in the sky. The saying, “Shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you can dance amongst the stars,” is a way to say that even though failure is present, you have an opportunity for another amazing experience. No one said life would be easy, but many people said life could be sweet. You may miss the target goal initially, but you will always be presented with a new perspective and outlook. You decide whether it be positive or negative; however, be sure that whichever you allow to take precedence will serve you in some way toward growth. Just like the candle in the wind, we can have a flame so ferocious that no wind can be enough to move our flame.

The proven method I would like to share with you today to combat fear is action. What fear tends to bring with it is a numbing agent that freezes us from making an action. If you ever had a nightmare where you were running/afraid and all of a sudden you couldn’t move, then that is fear. Just like that fear in the dream stops you from moving, so does the fear you allow in your daily life. How can you take the first step and get out of that zone of immobility? How can you ensure that you’re strong enough to overcome the unknown of the future? The simple answer is to reinforce your constitution daily and build up that fire inside your soul to shine through any darkness in your life so that you can light the path ahead of you once you can see the possibilities then, you will know what to do.

Learning how to overcome fear might not be something you can do in one day. You will have to start small and work your way up to your bigger fears. If you have a fear of public speaking, then perhaps you can speak in a virtual meeting room where you are in the comfort of your home. That can evolve to speaking in front of a small group of people and one day to a large crowd. I will say that fear is handled differently by everyone. What I learned over the years of teaching is that patience and caring are the two main ingredients to help someone get out of it. Once a level of trust is reached between a person, they will be able to do things they never imagined. They learned how to overcome their fears, be a leader, and fight off insecurity and doubt.

In closing, we all have the ability to shine in our life. Be sure not to compare yourself to others because it will not serve you. You have the same ability and opportunity to create an amazing life for yourself and those around you. Once you are able to fight any fear that finds its way into your mind, then you can make some serious progress toward your growth. Remind yourself daily that your flame is just as important as the next person’s, and I want to see it shine. I want to see you dancing on the moon and amongst the stars so that I can admire your talents and devotion to reaching a place many dreams to be. You were meant to shine bright and be an example for the world. So let today be the day you fight your fears off and show the world that you are stronger than any gust of wind that may threaten your flame.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts