The Fear Cure: Cultivating Courage as Medicine for the Body, Mind, and Soul

by Lissa Rankin

COURAGE-CULTIVATING EXERCISE #15 Identify Your Patterns Are there any negative patterns that keep repeating themselves in your life? List them. Be careful not to judge yourself. Practice self-compassion as you examine this question. Does anyone in your family have either similar patterns or polar opposite patterns? Be careful not to judge these family members. Practice compassion with them too. Can you identify any beliefs that might underlie such patterns? Often, you may have unknowingly inherited these beliefs from your parents, as they may have inherited these beliefs from theirs. This exercise is not about blaming your ancestors; it’s about raising awareness of the limiting beliefs that may be operating you so you can illuminate them and heal them. If you identify any limiting beliefs, bring these up with a skilled therapist or coach, or investigate techniques for healing limiting beliefs and cementing new ones.