Fear is understood to be an unpleasant emotion that comes from the idea that a person or situation will hurt us. Often we experience an inner trepidation thinking that we are unable to accomplish a plan or to limit ourselves to a level of expectations, because of our imperfections. In Marianne Williamson's poem "Our Deepest Fear," she explains that our true fears have very little to do with external assumptions. To delve deeper into the unconscious, fear itself is more focused on the strain and uneasiness with the outcomes of exceeding your expectations, achieving more than you than you ever thought you could. As people, we spend too much time on the idea that we are sure to fail, although we use out flaws as an excuse but later realizing we are than constantly doubting ourselves. Every one of us has flaws, but everyone has the potential to overcome them.
As people, we often restrain ourselves as a means to avoiding difficulty, when in actuality; we are scared of the power we possess. There have been several times in my life where I have thought that I would never accomplish anything substantial in life and would end up unhappy because I doubt that I can handle the stress that comes with adulthood. Continually, I think because my grades are not perfect and that I'm not considered the most successful student that it will lead to me being unhappy because of my shortcomings. Subconsciously, it could be that I am more scared of the fact that I could be undeniably happy and successful despite the fact that I am not at the top of my class. Williamson states in her poem, "It is not our light, not our darkness That most frightens us." (line 3-4) Venturing deeper beyond the surface, our deepest fear is based on the idea that our potential within us is so overpowering that we avoid our subconscious goals and settle for what is expected of us.
Often, we feel uncertain about our shortcomings and shy away from situations that shed light on what we try so hard to hide.
As stated by Marianne Williamson "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. ... And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ...