Are You Afraid to Know?

Ever have one of those days where you say to yourself, “I just don’t know what to do today”…?

Ever have one of those lives…?

You may say, “Oh, I know what I want to do. I just don’t know how to do it.” That’s an easy one to fix. I’ve got one word for you: Google. Simply type in “How to…”, and you will be rewarded with plenty of suggestions about how to successfully take action on pretty much anything you can possibly think of.

If you are resisting that suggestion, read on…

Many of us go through at least a period of doubt where we aren’t sure what we could or should be doing with our lives. At least not consciously.

Deep down inside, we already know what we’re here for… what we would really love to do… what we are really capable of doing - both for our own fulfillment as well as being of service to others.

But… there is a part of us that keeps us from having clarity about that. We resist knowing.

We are afraid to know.

A lot of folks resist this idea at first, but if we really take a look at it, it can be an arguably reasonable fear. There are consequences to knowing – and depending on our past experiences, these consequences may be pretty frightening.

If you know what you want, then others will expect you to take action to get it. That means running the risk of failing to get it, of looking foolish, of putting yourself out there where others might criticize you.

It also means running the risk of achieving what you want, and then having to deal with change, and more expectations, and a whole host of other possible consequences.

Maybe you have been warned about the potential pain of these consequences – or have lived through them personally. So it’s no wonder that part of you says, “No thank you – I’d rather sit this one out,” and keeps you from being sure what direction to head in. And since so many others feel likewise lost in terms of life direction, you are likely to get a lot of camaraderie and sympathetic head nodding when you sigh and claim, “I just don’t know what to do.”

That may seem like a sufficient consolation prize for awhile, but you deserve better.

Back to this idea that you already know…

When asked how he produced such marvelous sculptures, the brilliant Italian artist Michelangelo responded that he saw the subjects already there - perfect - inside the marble, and that he then just chipped away all the stone that didn't belong, revealing the masterpiece within.

Our own natural magnificence – and our knowledge about the nature and purpose of that magnificence – can likewise be hidden. Not under stone, but an equally tough shell of fears and doubts that we keep there believing it is necessary to keep us safe.

Fortunately, this can likewise be chipped away. Or, more precisely in this case, tapped away.

You may or may not be familiar with a process called Emotional Freedom Techniques – EFT for short – which is also commonly referred to simply as Tapping. This is a simple mind/body tool based on acupuncture which helps to shift energy in the body and clear out uncomfortable emotions… such as the stress and fear that might come up when we consider the consequences of taking action – or even knowing what actions to take.

Try this:

1. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it go.

2. Breathing comfortably, try to imagine what you would like your life to be like. What might it look like if you knew what to do, and were doing it.

3. Following your breath through your body, notice what’s going on inside (physically and emotionally). Note any discomfort you might feel.

4. Say, “It’s safe to know what I want.” Now ask yourself, on a scale of 0-10, how true that feels.

5. Notice any thoughts, beliefs or memories that might pop into your mind as to why it might not feel totally safe.

6. With the fingertips of your index and middle finger, lightly tap right under the middle of your eye, at the top of the cheekbone, and say: “It doesn’t feel safe to know what I want” and or, “I’m afraid to know what I want.” Repeat this a few times.

7. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and ask again how safe it feels.

Chances are you will feel more relaxed, and the number will likely have changed. You may be more clear about what you want, or more clear about why you might resist knowing – which can also be tapped on.

Set yourself free to know – it will benefit you and many others.