Why do I continue behaviors based on fear when so often the outcomes of such behaviors fail to satisfy my needs? What payoff do I get for failure?!! How do my fears reward me for having them?

As we discussed in an earlier post, fear causes us to invest our life-force energy in an imagined, worse-case future. Due to the placebo effect, that less-than-optimal future is much more likely to come about. So, knowing that my fearful thoughts tend to sour my future, why do I do it?!!

Reason 1 – Fear is useful.

My fear of getting run over by an articulated vehicle causes me to avoid crossing a busy street against the crossing light. My fear of drowning keeps me on or close to the beach instead of out in the high surf. My fear of hanging out in high places keeps me from falling to my death. My fears have proven their value to me so often, I don’t question them. That brings me to –

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