Lessons reinforced

Lessons that are being refreshed by Gavin De Becker's book "Fear Less":

It may seem a paradox, but the mind that is open to the possibility and reality of danger being present all around us experiences less fear than those who fail to recognize this truth. The cognitive dissonance of denial causes constant stress.

Risk is omnipresent and unavoidable, but risk is not automatic disaster.

Acknowledging risk allows us to compartmentalize dangers and confront them. Confronting our risks allows us to evaulate some of the components of risk, the two major being 1) the probability of occurrence and 2) the severity of the consequences.
Knowing these two factors allows us to rationally determine how much energy to put into mitigation of the risk, and more than merely averting a negatvie, allows us to recognize a benefit: Risk and opportunity are flip sides of a coin.

The prepared mind pays attention to intuition. Fear and pain are important signals that something is wrong. It's important not to be caught up in self-reinforcing cycles of mindless fear and pain, but to use them to gauge the success of our attempts to change our circumstances for the better.

You are your own best protector. You have have more insight into your own welfare than anyone else ever could. You, of all people in the world, are in the best position of anyone to improve the world, from your point of view. You must sieze responsibility for your self if you are ever to be happy.