For the most part, if we get those positive experiences early in life, we can better learn how to handle the negative moments and experiences later in life.
But what happens if early in life you have experiences that teach you insecurity, that the world isn’t a safe place or that you aren’t loved? You can spend a lifetime feeling like you don’t fit in or you can never have what you want or measure up to those around you. The negative self-talk from those experiences can create handicaps in our lives keeping us away from much of the best parts of life.
Fear, while frequently seen as a negative can actually work to our advantage if used correctly.
Fear, when worked in the positive, can be used to drive us and our lives, away from the negative or harmful and to the positive and helpful. In my own experience, not wanting to be the type of father I had in my youth drove me to make different choices than my father. Choices that helped me to make an experience in my son’s life very different than the one I had growing up. Those choices helped me be the kind of father I wished I had.
My guest this week, Mary Shores is a fine example of overcoming childhood trauma. When I asked her, what helped her overcome the adversity in her own life, she said it wasn’t positive thinking or empowerment. It was straight up fear. Fear of not being able to have the type of life she believed others were having. And that fear came directly from her experiences growing up.
Mary believed she was handicapped to some degree by the circumstances she grew up with. Yet she found a way to use her fear to drive her to success, happiness, and fulfillment. And she did it one step at a time. Growing into a powerful woman, mother, CEO, and author.
Take a listen.