Quotes about overcoming fear

[Questioner]

from Peace Pilgrim - I just discovered her work and find it's very inspiring - http://peacepilgrim.com/book/chapt6.htm

I highlighted some of her points that really jumped out at me. The line about becoming familiar with what you fear was just what I needed. I was stuck in fear of a complicated new situation. When I read this, I realized that I was avoiding all of it rather than finding one small thing I could understand. I looked for one little thing I could learn more about, learned and that in turn helped open up the next step.

On the Worry Habit.
Live this day! Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Never agonize over the past or worry over the future. Live this day and live it well.

Worry is a habit. It is something that can be worked on. I call it relinquishment of the worry habit. There are techniques that help. I talk to some beautiful church people and I discover they still worry. It's a total waste of time and energy. If you are a praying person who prays with faith, you would immediately, and automatically, take what you're worried about to God in prayer and leave it in God's hands--the best possible hands. This is one technique which is excellent. In the beginning you may have to take it back to God quite a number of times before you develop the habit (which I have developed) of always doing everything you can in a situation, and then leaving the rest safely in God's hands.

How often are you worrying about the present moment? The present is usually all right. If you're worrying, you're either agonizing over the past which you should have forgotten long ago, or else you're apprehensive over the future which hasn't even come yet. We tend to skim right over the present moment which is the only moment God gives any of us to live. If you don't live the present moment, you never get around to living at all. And if you do live the present moment, you tend not to worry. For me, every moment is a new and wonderful opportunity to be of service.
....

I knew a lady who was a college English professor. Any time there was the slightest rumble of thunder in the distance she became hysterical. When she was a tiny child, whenever there was a thundershower her mother ran and crawled under the bed and, of course, the kids crawled under with her. She was taught by her mother to fear thundershowers--by example. That's the way children are taught.

Almost all fear is fear of the unknown. Therefore, what's the remedy? To become acquainted with the things you fear. We had to learn all the safety rules before we could become acquainted with thundershowers, but it worked.

I'll tell you another story about fear. I've heard of women who are afraid of mice. And I've personally known women and men who are afraid of dogs. But this woman was afraid of cats. I'm not talking about a wild cat--just common, ordinary household cats.

Now there were cats in her neighborhood. All of her friends had cats. Every time she encountered a cat she screamed, she ran, she became hysterical. She told me she thought every cat she encountered was about to jump at her throat. Now, a psychologist would say, "When she was a baby she was frightened by a cat; she's forgotten that but it still remains in her subconscious." Which might be true. It doesn't matter. I said, "If you wish to lose your fear of cats you must become acquainted with a cat." "Oh no!" she replied. I said, "Well, are you afraid of a kitten?" "Not if it's small enough," she said. So I borrowed a cute, small kitten. They said I could either borrow it or keep it. I brought it to her and I said, "Now are you afraid of that?" "Oh, not that little thing," she said. "All right," I said, "Now you must become acquainted. You must feed it, play with it." And of course you know the end of the story. The kitten grew into a cat, but by then she was so attached to it she wouldn't give it up.

Monica, thanks for the pg quote. He's not only a superbly creative musician, but he also has some very insightful lyrics. Definitely a favorite of mine.