Fear of the Unknown and the Shadow of the Future
My thinking changed as I grew older. I began observing my mind as it said to me: You are now living in the future you once dreamed of as a child—so where are the position and the wealth you aspired to? My mind started to transform into a “wise man” giving me a life lesson: that the future is unknown, and that what I dream of is difficult to reach—almost impossible.
I felt intense fear and dread toward that future; its image changed in my mind, and I began to think about it with a sense of anxiety and fear of the unknown. I wondered: Where did my passion go? And where did the dreams I used to draw for my future go?
But in the middle of all this fear and dark thoughts, I paused for a moment and said to myself: I am the one who controls my mind, not the other way around. These are just negative, unreal thoughts. The proof is that I already have at least 40% of what I once dreamed of, and I am on my way to achieving my dreams and passion.
1. Getting Rid of Negative Thoughts (Filter Your Mind)
A human being receives around 60,000 thoughts per day, and 80% of them are negative thoughts that work entirely against the person. About 75% of these thoughts cause chronic illnesses.
Here are simple and proven ways to get rid of negative thoughts:
• Give your mind a command to cancel the thought
When you face thoughts that weaken your motivation, make you feel lazy, remind you of painful past situations, or negative people you dislike remembering—say the word “Cancel.” Then immediately think of something positive that happened in your past or present, or something you aspire to create in your future.
Your subconscious mind stops generating negative thoughts because you commanded it to cancel them. The word “Cancel” is stored in your memory files as a clear command, so your mind obeys and stops thinking about that negative idea. When you replace it with a new positive thought, your mind begins to work on it instead.
You will notice that more positive thoughts are attracted to you, because the mind builds on the last experience. If you think positively, you will attract positivity; if you leave your mind immersed in negativity, you will attract negative experiences into your life.
• Return to your reality
Negative thoughts often come from past events, situations, people, and moments of failure. Your mind then generalizes those failures to your present, generating thoughts that convince you that you are not okay, that you tried many times in the past and failed, and it will remind you of every failure you experienced. If you do not return to your reality and focus on the power of the present moment, you will not be able to change.
Even if you failed a million times in the past, you must be firm with your mind and not allow it to drag you into the hell it creates. You are the captain of your life’s ship—do not surrender it to the winds of negative thoughts. Return to your reality, start again every time, and turn your failures into experiences and lessons that help you avoid repeating them.
• Empty your mind
Many of us notice that when we start focusing on a task, distracting thoughts suddenly appear, causing us to waste time thinking about things unrelated to what we should be focusing on.
When that happens, write all distracting thoughts on a separate piece of paper and make a deal with your mind that you will come back to discuss them after finishing your work. This technique is called “emptying the mind of distracting thoughts.”
2. How to Create Your Future
If you want to know what your future will look like, change your present. Create more achievements now. Control your thoughts, beliefs, values, and self-image. Write your plan and pursue it with strength and optimism.
Do not fear the future—you are capable of shaping it as you wish. All you need is faith in yourself and your ability to try. Try repeatedly, evaluate the results, and remain flexible toward positive change.
Here are some important tips to follow while creating your future:
• Know yourself
Socrates always said: “Know yourself.” Yes—know yourself to know where to begin. Identify your strengths and work on improving your weaknesses.
You are the best of Allah’s creation, and you possess unlimited potential. All you need is to discover it and use it in service of your goals and future plans.
• Do not imitate—follow a role model
Blind imitation kills your abilities, potential, and unique fingerprint. Your circumstances are completely different from those you imitate, and every person lives in a different environment and society. Instead, follow what Dr. Ibrahim El-Fiky (may Allah have mercy on him) called “modeling a successful human example.” This means choosing a role model aligned with your goal, studying their success story, understanding how they dealt with challenges and problems, how they think, and the strategies that helped them succeed.
By answering these questions and applying what you learn, you will notice yourself getting closer to the results you desire.
• Remember that your time is your most valuable asset
If you want to create a great future, you must know how to invest your time in the best possible way.
We all have 24 hours. The high achiever and the lazy, frustrated person have the same amount of time—the difference lies in how each one manages it, either in a way that strengthens success or increases failure.
At the end of this article, let me tell you one thing: ““Your future will be great if you start now. Start taking action and do not look at anything else—because the beauty of endings always comes after the hardship of beginnings.”
Coach Waleed Mohammad