Introduction to Experiments With Fear

Leap Into the Present Moment and Build Faith by Taking Risks

For the last 3 years I have been conducting what I like to call experiments with fear. I have been paying close attention to what happens when I have chosen to do what scares me the most in any given situation, and I have also watched what happens when I do the opposite. These experiments with fear are founded in the hypothesis that by taking risks I force myself into the present moment and into a state of faith and courage; I take a step towards the Universe, God, the cosmos, my deeper self, or whatever else you would like to call it. Furthermore, by taking a step towards the Universe it will take two towards me, leading to personal growth and more faith every day as doors reveal themselves to me, "where before there were only walls."

The beauty of this experiment is that it helps you to be more focused on the process and the present moment, and less on the results. To quote Joey LaMotta, Joe Pesci's character in Raging Bull: "You win, you win. You lose, you win."

Experiments with fear have shown me that ninety five percent of the time, when I decide to take a risk, the Universe completely supports me, whether it be the smallest day to day things or the biggest life decisions. Even when I don't get the results I hoped for - or more accurately, the results I thought I wanted - they either end up being better, or I simply end up with a smile on my face for taking a risk. - the risk to live. The present moment is reward enough.

In this blog I am going to document my experiments with fear as I live my life. We will explore taking risks, using our fears as little cairns that point us in the right direction, exercises in letting go, creativity, and how all of this can help us to build confidence, experience a lot of personal growth within, and find our pathways to bliss. We'll discuss some interesting people all through out history who have lived this way, and how many of those people have shaped the world we live in today. As Joseph Campbell said, "It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure."

I invite you all to participate by sharing your own experiences and, more importantly, by conducting your own experiments with fear. Leap and the net shall appear.