16. Overcoming Fears With The “Override Switch”

I was out to lunch with a friend who had mentioned that they were nervous or afraid to take a major step with their partner, however the ultimate goal that they had in mind (marriage and kids) overrode the fear that they had instilled in themselves with taking such step. Immediately a light switch turned on in my mind as a concept. An override switch is us wanting or desiring something which is greater than the sum of our parts. Our ultimate fantasies are at stake and therefore the mundane day-to-day activities which we procrastinate or avoid do not seem so meaningless and small. The issues that we hype ourselves up from also avoiding become trivial and irrelevant in comparison to the bigger picture.

Now you may be thinking that this is obvious, but is it? How many things do we do day to day for seemingly no reason? Are we consistently thinking of the bigger picture? Of course not. We prioritize living in the moment, sometimes the future, and unfortunately the past. We often do not consciously or subconsciously take this leap with whatever we are doing. Perhaps in some way it’s in order to retain our sanity. Is it productive or helpful to always look toward the future? I would argue it’s not. Besides, that takes a way a bit of impulse and spontaneity.

But let’s talk about things we are truly afraid of or wish to avoid. Are there meaningless or small issues which can easily be overcome? Are we mounting on the avoidance and procrastination because we do not have sight of the end goal or result? How can we outsmart our current situation in order to drive us forward and achieve what we truly want to achieve?

This is of course where the override switch comes in. Take this example: Say that you do ultimately want a family but are hesitant of dating. Rather than putting negative energetic focus into the topic of dating (whether you do decide to date or are proactively avoiding it), you can “switch” this energy and put more gratitude and love into the bigger picture. Resonating with your wants and desires will help you not only refine what you want exactly, but begin to tie in your day to day activities in order for you to make sense of them. 

Perhaps there’s something which is daunting everyday. For me, it’s my skincare routine. However the ultimate goal fo me not having any skin issues as I age overrides the need or want to avoid doing said skincare routine. Once I prioritize the end goal and this positive energy, it makes it easier to come to terms with decisions related to it. Considering we are already at risk of over-inundating ourselves and decision fatigue, refining your wants and desires is a great way to weed out the BS on the day to day. Are there things which you’re currently doing which can be removed? Improved upon? How about more efficient, or even saved for a later date? Perhaps you may even be in trends or cycles which worked well for you previously, but you haven’t had the time or opportunity to phase them out.

I do want to share one warning about this, though. The override switch is only meant to compliment your wants and desires, and not to force yourself into doing anything. You should not be looking at the override switch as a way to make an excuse for what you’re doing and create this fantasy out of thin air. It’s really about alignment, refinement, tying into your everyday life, and by proxy, removing what does not fit, or overcoming fears or obstacles related to it. The goal is to not have these two parts of your conscious and subconscious having energetic dissonance, but simply to marry the two of them together. This also in a way starts to bridge your conscious self and subconsciousness in general.

Start investigating your life, particularly where you have fears or pain points. What does this ladder up to? And if nothing, then let it go.