Flush out your fear and limiting beliefs (AM1620 Replay)

When you're afraid (of criticism, failure, and rejection), you'll kill yourself trying to be perfect. Of course, the mask of perfection also separates you from what you most want: real intimacy, to be known, loved, and accepted for your true self. It causes you to settle. When you are afraid to take risks and chase after what you truly desire, you convince yourself that your less-than-glamourous -life, your relationships, your job, the dismal state of the economy and environment are as good as it gets.

When fear runs the show, you forget how to dream. You compromise in the name of being "realistic." But settling isn't realism; it's a devastating symptom of the fear that what you hope is possible really isn't.

When you're afraid to disappoint people or get rejected if you don't say yes, you'll fall into fear-based, people-pleasing, self-sacrificing behaviors that lead to resentment. But when fear is no longer running the show, you say no when it feels self-loving. As they say, "No" is a complete sentence. This doesn't mean you won't devote yourself to generosity and service. It means the service stems from a genuine love-based (rather than a fear-based) motivation.