Projection

Fear is something many are dealing with at the moment. People are in difficult situations which seem to offer no solution. We know that many are facing the loss of their homes while many others might end up following suit if unemployment increases too much. This is a reality that we are going to have to cope with.

I was sitting yesterday with someone who just lost his job. The company he worked for is experiencing a serious loss in revenue due to the slowing of the economy. Like most, they are being forced to cut back. The gentleman that I talked to was one who was let go. Sadly, it was through no fault of his own since he was a good employee for them. Again, circumstances necessitated this action.

Obviously, this individual was filled with fear. He was worried about meeting his financial obligations without the steady paycheck. This is a legitimate concern. He will need to develop some type of plan to survive this ordeal.

In chatting with him I was able to pinpoint exactly what his issue was. As you can imagine, fear is his overriding emotion at the moment. There is a lot to be scared about. However, as we all know, fear never solves anything. Listening to this emotion only serves to paralyze us from moving forward.

Most would think that this man just needed to get over the fear. That would be true if that is what his problem was. What was affecting this individual was his negative projection. That is what was causing his fear. Anytime we leave the present moment, we establish the basis for fear to exist. It is impossible for fear to enter our mindset if we are in the present moment.

I know this sounds a bit hokey but bear with me. Fear exists solely in the mind. It is a device the mind uses to maintain control in a situation. The mind likes the status quo and will do all it can to keep us from changing. However, for fear to be present, there needs to be a comparison. So, the mind looks to a future point in time and brings that projection back to the present. Hence, we have fear.

Let us look at how this man did it. He lost his job. That is the reality of the situation. This event caused the mind to consider the future with a negative viewpoint. He instantly jumped to the time when he would not be able to make the house payment (next month or the one thereafter). Then, to compound it, he went further into the future to see the bank taking his house. These events he experienced mentally in the present.

Other than losing the job, did any of this happen? No it did not. The entire scenario is a figment of his imagination. It made it all up. Could this transpire the way he envisioned it? Certainly. However, as of this moment, he is still current on his mortgage and living in his house.

I need to make one thing clear: staying in the present moment does not mean that we stick our head in the sand and ignore the world around us. Having the Pollyanna attitude with everything is a bit foolish. In this instance, there are actions this individual will need to take. However, staying in the present moment allows his to think rationally while maintaining some peace about him. That is crucial for surviving any ordeal. Survival experts teach how remaining calm is the key to survival. I agree 110%. Sticking to the present moment fosters a calm outlook. It is then that we are able to begin working on the solution to our problems.

One final thought about projection. Notice that when someone does project, it is most often in the negative. They never seem to look at a situation and think how wonderfully it all will turn out. Instead, they tend to go to the "worst case scenario". If you are going to project, does so in a positive fashion. See everything working out to your benefit. This single alone will begin to lay the foundation for an improved situation.
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