How to Become Fearless by Rediscovering Your Innocence

When we were children, we lived in a world many of us would like to inhabit today. It was a world of complete Innocence, where everything was Love and we were one with the universe. We believed as all young children do, that we were at its center. This was our infant ego programmed with only the most basic of life instincts. There was no distinguishing between “me” and “you”. Everything was both within and without and we were filled with a power of oneness that was both infinite and Positive.

Modern psychologists (going back to Freud) regard this “infantile” perception as being normal, but none the less, delusional. In some respect I agree, but only partly. Delusion is defined as a belief that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as being real.

There have been a lot of generally accepted ideas that have eventually fallen by the wayside and I think infantile delusions of oneness are swiftly moving in that direction.

I don’t believe that babies are “delusional” just because they live in an innocent, self-centered world. They have every good reason to be so. Although they may be self-centered, they do in fact give back by showing love and gratitude in their own simple way. You don’t have to be a parent to acknowledge that premise.

James Barrie’s Peter Pan was a boy who refused to grow up. He was all about being the best he could be and getting what he wanted. He also considered himself to be a fearless leader. As our egos develop we learn not only who deserves our love, but who and what to fear. Peter never got to that stage in Neverland.

As we grow up and begin to lose that innocent state of being where the difference between “me” and “you” takes shape we become less self-centered (or less selfish) and our fearlessness diminishes. In gaining control of our own mind, we sacrifice the innocent “knowing” that we are one with the universe and we give up the power (or strength) that comes with that knowing. That power, it’s been said, forms the basis for creativity. So you can see that being selfish is not always bad. By expressing yourself, your dreams and your desires, you move toward fulfilling those desires.

One doesn’t have to revert back to infancy or leave this world to experience a guilt-free sense of selfishness. You can still experience a childlike joy where the world revolves around you; in fact, you can do it without compromising civilized behavior.

You actually experience a bit of this each time you surrender to sleep. I say “surrender” because you are allowing your thinking self, your ego, to take a rest. Creativity takes over and often we begin to dream.

If you are successful at meditation, you can achieve that creative state during waking periods. Some methods of meditation instruct us to insert positive thoughts into the gaps between thoughts as we meditate in order to manifest our desires.  Even practicing Yoga teaches your mind through movement to free yourself from the limitations of the ego, stimulating creativity.

Taking the time to play, without feeling guilty, allows you to embrace your innocence. If you simply acknowledge the state you were in when you were an infant, where everything was all encompassing and there was no separation between you, everyone else and the universe, you can more easily accept the possibility that that is the true nature of things.

You can learn by observing young children. They possess an innate sense of wonder, forgiveness and freedom and they see the limitless possibilities of getting everything that they want. Many times, they succeed in doing so!

Experiment with the possibility that you are me and I am you. When we find the relatedness between us, life becomes more liberating. We also realize that every living thing (whether you agree with who they are or what they represent) desires the same things in life; - love, nourishment, shelter, health, freedom and happiness for themselves, their children and loved ones. When you look at it that way, being self-centered actually means caring for all. The personal ego becomes a super-ego. This is a powerful concept if you see it from the larger perspective. Both creativity and compassion arise from this state of being.

Enjoy the freedom to explore and delve into what you love most without guilt and without judgment. Put aside the “shoulds” and the “I can’ts” and accept being just plain innocent – free from the rules of the ego. You may witness the power of possibilities and experience less fear of the unknown. You may feel the freedom to change, which in turn allows you the freedom to have more of what you desire in life.

"Changing what you have, comes from changing who you are.

And changing who you are comes from changing what you think.

Thinking is the easy part."

                                   Mike Dooley (author of Notes From the Universe)

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