Something great to do this season? Write a list of 10 things that really scare you.

What has happened to you throughout your life that makes you replace love with fear?

Look within.

In what situations do you find yourself “re”-acting (responding to a situation in a certain way because of the conditioning of your past), as opposed to acting from the perspective of the here and now?

You are like an onion. You are born this perfect, luminous being of pure love. This is your core. As you grow, things happen in your life—pain comes. Little things, big things. Someone picks on you in kindergarten. Your mom gets upset because you broke something. You get lost at the supermarket and for a moment, you’re all alone. You fall in love and get your heart broken. Parents divorce. A person you love gets sick. A person you love dies.

All these things stay with us. It’s a part of life; pain and growth and learning—we need this. At the time we might not feel it but we do. It’s unpleasant, it hurts, and instead of accepting the present as it is and moving through it we decide we don’t want to feel this way ever again. And you know what? This is how we create fear. Fear of experiencing that same pain. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of the unknown.

So you layer your core with a thin layer of protection. Ways to shield yourself from life’s uncertainties. Just a thin layer. And then another. And another. Suddenly, you are an onion! Layers and layers covering your core. And it might feel as if these layers are protecting you, but they are in fact keeping you away from who you really are.

You are a luminous being of pure love, and you are taken care of.

You don’t need fear to protect you from life! You need love. You need light. You need what’s at your very core. We all have our stories, and comforting as they may be, it’s time to let go. If you want to live life to its fullest potential, you have to! Start peeling those layers off, one by one. Write a list of the 10 things that scare you the most. Begin taking active steps to overcome them. Make 2013 a fearless year! Don’t move where fear wants you to move. Move with love. With light. Close your eyes and look within.

~

Ed: Kate B.

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