“Some people live as though they are already dead. There are people moving around us who are consumed by their past, terrified of their future, and stuck in their anger and jealousy. They are not alive; they are just walking corpses.”― Thich Nhat Hanh

A lot of people tell me I’m brave. They say I’m brave for having the courage to follow my dreams, to live life outside the norm and do what it takes to live a life that I am proud of. But, I will tell you, while, yes, I am brave, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have fears. I have fears just like everyone else. I’ve just had the courage to face them and try to create the life I want anyway. You want to know how I did that?

I realized I was already living my deepest fear.

Are You Already Living Your Biggest Fear?

In the book I’ve written, “Dream Catcher: The Magic of Living Your Dream Life” , I advise people to face their fears by doing an exercise where they ask what they are afraid of happening if they take the next step to follow their dreams. I ask them to keep doing this exercise until they reach the core issue of what they are really afraid of.

For instance, many people say they are afraid to quit their job and travel around the world because they are afraid they will run out of money. But, they are afraid of running out of money because the real fear is that they will be homeless. But, they are afraid of being homeless because they are afraid that then they will die.

Ok, so that person is afraid of living their dream because they are afraid of dying. But, if you are just existing and not living a full life, then aren’t you already dead? Can you really call that living?

“When we recognize that, just like the glass, our body is already broken, that indeed we are already dead, then life becomes precious, and we open to it just as it is, in the moment it is occurring. When we understand that all our loved ones are already dead — our children, our mates, our friends — how precious they become. How little fear can interpose; how little doubt can estrange us. When you live your life as though you’re already dead, life takes on new meaning. Each moment becomes a whole lifetime, a universe unto itself.-Stephen Levine

After recently returning to the US and taking a job I hated, I started to think about my biggest fear about returning to another country. I realized my biggest fear wasn’t dying or even being homeless. I realized my biggest fear was that if I ran out of money, then I would have to return to a life where I had a 9-5 job again. One in which I wasn’t fulfilling my purpose. And, here I was working a 9-5 job trying to prevent my biggest fear. I was already living my biggest fear! That just seemed silly.

For me, it wasn’t worth working at a job I hated just so I could live on a beach. I realized I would much rather be free. And live a life that I was proud of, one that I had created, no matter what the cost.

So, if you are tired of life, then you must change it. It’s yours to change. Look at your fears. Are you already living them? Do whatever it takes to face those fears and live this life in the fullest possible way.

If you are looking at creating a different kind of life, you may enjoy my book, “Dream Catcher: The Magic of Living Your Dream Life.” Click here to order. I also offer Skype coaching sessions if you are looking for a private coach to help you lead the life you want to live. Email me at [email protected] for more information.

Alan Watts – Why Your Life Is Not A Journey from David Lindberg on Vimeo.