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

by Lissa Rankin

COURAGE-CULTIVATING EXERCISE #18 Create Your New “Everybody” Name your current Everybody. List the names of all the people whose judgment or approval you’re thinking of when you worry about what Everybody will think. Notice whether these people model qualities you wish to emulate. Are they kind? Filled with integrity? Compassionate? Brave? Don’t judge these people, but do ask yourself whether you really value their opinions. Choose your ideal Everybody. Perhaps some of the people in your current Everybody are there because you value and respect their counsel. If so, keep them! But if these people limit you more than they facilitate your growth, you can choose a brand-new Everybody. The good news is that you don’t even have to know these people personally. For that matter, they don’t even have to be alive. You can call upon the wisdom of others, living or dead, whether you know them in the flesh or not. These may be real people who love and support you and have your best interests at heart. They may be authors who have written inspiring books, spiritual teachers living or dead, or even angels or deities. Choose six people who unconditionally encourage you and help you feel more brave. Consult your new Everybody regularly. Ask for advice in meditation, in writing, in prayer, or in person whenever you need genuinely helpful guidance.