The SOVRN Report
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The SOVRN Report
Who Told You to Be Afraid? Reclaiming Your Mindset and Breaking Free from Fear
Okay, so have you ever felt like you know fear is kind of holding you back?
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:It's like those limiting beliefs that we all have, you know, like they're almost someone else's voice in our head sometimes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So today we're doing a deep dive into this fascinating excerpt from who Told you to Be Afraid.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:To really figure out how these fear narratives kind of get started and, like most importantly, how to actually, you know, break free yeah, I think it's really interesting because we I feel like we often think of fear as this, like primal instinct, right?
Speaker 2:right, of course, yeah but this excerpt really like dives into how fear is often a learned experience, a story we tell ourselves um based on our experiences and what we've been taught yeah, and that you that actually reminds me of I was terrified to speak in public, right, like totally petrified.
Speaker 1:And I realized later is because when I was a kid I like completely froze up during a school play and my grandpa, trying to be funny, called me like old Tuntide for weeks, totally harmless, but like you know what I mean. It kind of just goes to show how those narratives take hold. But what's wild to me is that the book says sometimes these fears aren't even like actually based in reality.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:It's kind of a trip.
Speaker 2:Yeah, think about it. If you were raised in a culture where, like spiders were considered a delicacy, right Would you? Would you be afraid of them? Probably not no probably not, but if you grew up hearing all these scary stories about spiders, you might develop arachnophobia Right. It's the narrative that really drives that fear.
Speaker 1:Totally. It's like those fears almost become part of our family history or something you know.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Like the excerpt mentions. Like parents, teachers, even like the media, it seems like everyone has a hand in shaping our fears.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah, and it's not always with like bad intentions either, right? Sometimes it's just a matter of wanting to protect us, like a parent, like warning their child not to talk to strangers. Yeah, yeah, of course. But even these like seemingly harmless warnings can lead to anxieties and phobias later in life.
Speaker 1:That's true. It's like they pass down these fears, like thinking they're doing the right thing. But when does a helpful heads up become like a limiting belief, you know? And that's where things get really interesting, because the excerpt it offers this like solution sovereignty. So what exactly does that even mean?
Speaker 2:Sovereignty in this context is about. It's about recognizing that you have the power to actually question these like inherited fear narratives.
Speaker 1:Right, ok.
Speaker 2:It's about taking ownership of your thoughts and feelings and kind of deciding, like, which fears are actually your own and which ones are just like echoes of someone else's story.
Speaker 1:Like hitting the unfollow button on those inherited fears.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:But like recognizing those button on those inherited fears, exactly, exactly. But like recognizing those fears is only step one, right? So how do we actually dismantle these like deep seated fears that are, like you know, holding us back?
Speaker 2:Well, the excerpt outlines a really practical approach, right. Ok, and it says first you have to identify the fear. What is it that you're truly afraid of?
Speaker 1:OK Name the fear what?
Speaker 2:is it that you're truly afraid of Name it Right? Then question its source. Where did this fear come from? Was it a parent, a teacher, a news story?
Speaker 1:Right. And finally, challenge the fear. Is it even true anymore? It's like taking inventory of your fears and deciding which one sparked joy.
Speaker 2:Marie Kondo saw Exactly, exactly, and, and once you've like challenged that, that fear narrative right, you can start to like rewrite your story. You know, imagine yourself like not limited by that fear. What? What changes in your life, what goals suddenly feel like within reach?
Speaker 1:OK, that's a. That's a powerful exercise. I'm already feeling like braver just thinking about it Right. But the excerpt it keeps mentioning critical thinking as like a key part of this whole process. So how does critical thinking actually help us? You know, overcome fear.
Speaker 2:Well, I think you know it's about shifting from like passive fear to like active analysis, right? So let's say you're afraid of public speaking. Yeah, a pretty common one, right? A critical thinker would kind of break down that fear Like what. What specifically about public speaking is scary, right? Is it the fear of like forgetting your words, being judged, or maybe something else entirely, right?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And then they look for like evidence. Ok, have you succeeded in similar situations before?
Speaker 1:OK evidence?
Speaker 2:Have you succeeded in similar situations before? What's the worst that could like realistically happen? By analyzing the fear instead of just like letting it control you, you kind of regain a sense of agency, right.
Speaker 1:So instead of getting like overwhelmed by the fear, you can kind of use critical thinking to like shrink it down to size. Exactly it's almost like you're, like you know, facing a bunch of, like, smaller challenges instead of, like this, one big monster. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Precisely and and this process right. It isn't just about, like, individual empowerment. The excerpt also talks about how our, like individual decisions to confront fear can actually contribute to to a better world. What do you make of that?
Speaker 1:You know, I can totally see that right. It's like when we're constantly operating from a place of fear, it affects everything Our relationships, you know, our communities, even like our political systems. But when we're like able to move past those fears, it opens up all these new possibilities, not just for ourselves but like for society as a whole.
Speaker 2:Exactly when we're less afraid we're more likely to. You know like, embrace diversity, challenge the status quo, stand up for what we believe in. It creates this like ripple effect, inspiring others to do the same.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no, totally. It's like by, by facing our own fears. We're not, we're not just like improving our own lives, we're.
Speaker 2:We're actually like contributing to you know, like a braver and more compassionate world Exactly, and, and the best part is like, this isn't some you know pie in the sky idea.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:The the excerpt actually gives us like practical tools to start, you know, dismantling those fear narratives today.
Speaker 1:Which is like incredibly empowering. You know when you actually think about it Right we spend so much time like feeling limited by all of our fears. But this excerpt, it reminds us that we actually have the power to, like you know, change the narrative.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the real question is like what will you do with with that power?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:What, what fear have you been like letting, letting control you.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What? What would your life look like if, like you, rewrote that story?
Speaker 1:Those are, those are great questions to consider. And hey, if anyone wants to go even deeper into this whole positive life operating system thing that the excerpt keeps mentioning, like we've got, we've got links for you in the show notes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a. It's a fascinating concept, you know, exploring, like how we can reprogram our, our internal operating system to, like, prioritize courage and resilience over fear.
Speaker 1:Totally so. There you have it. Remember, fear is often a story, not a life sentence. You have the power to question those narratives. Rewrite your story and in doing so, contribute to, you know, like a brighter future for everyone Right. That's some seriously powerful stuff to unpack, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Really interesting stuff.