Sadhguru looks at the nature of fear and answers a question on how to overcome fear. He explains how fear arises because of excessive imagination. Instead of producing "horror movies" in our mind, produce a comedy, a love story or a suspense thriller, he says.


Questioner: Many times in my daily life fear stops me from doing small things and bigger things - fear from failure, fear from… maybe from rejection sometimes. How to overcome this fear?

Sadhguru: You cannot overcome something which does not exist. Right now, are you in fear? Right now, that I may say something damaging? Is that the fear? (Laughs) Every moment of your life, you are in fear? No. So, when you are not in fear, just stay like that because to create fear, you have to use excessive imagination. To not be in fear, you don’t have to do anything. Fear is happening because of excessive imagination - things that have not happened, you are creating. What may happen in your mind happens in thousand different formats and most probably it never happens. The things that you have feared… Take hundred things that you have feared. Probably ninety nine of them never happened, isn’t it? Yes? So, your hear… your fear is always about that which does not exist. You cannot fight or you cannot overcome that which does not exist. We can overcome something which… that exists. You cannot overcome that which does not exist. We just have to give up that effort. Enjoy the fear. After all, it’s your making. You like horror movies?

Yes. I mean, you are saying no but you are producing them. Just they are not making money, that’s all. (Few Laugh) (Laughs) Fear means you’re producing horror movies in your mind. Nobody else is willing to watch. Tch… That’s bad for the producer, but you are producing them. So, you produce something else - produce a comedy, a love story, suspense thriller - try and see today. Just sit down, produce a love story, a suspense thriller, a comedy - five five minutes movies you make in your mind, really. Yes. Start using your mind differently. It’s gotten into your pattern. It’s just gotten into your pattern of just creating horror movies all the time. You have watched enough horror movies, they’re boring. Create something else. (Laughs) Even… It’s not that if you produce these movies, those things will happen in your life. Still they may not happen. At least you enjoy the movie. (Laughs) In reality, it may not happen, so what? At least you enjoy what’s happening in your mind if you cannot enjoy what’s happening in the world, isn’t it?

That much privilege every human being deserves. Isn’t it so? Even if the world is not kind to him, at least his own mind should be kind to him - so produce some nice movies. (Laughs) Try, try a comedy. If you want an actor, you can hire him. (Pointing to Alli) (Laughter)