#fearmonsterfriday

The Fear Monster News Network

This week was a sad week in the news. With the loss of Robin Williams, I was actually a little surprised at how much it affected me. I sat down on Monday to watch my favorite movies of his, and crying to "Friend Like Me" in Aladdin was definitely a new experience. I was singing along through messy tears, thinking, "You're right, Robin! There was nobody else like you!"

  Granted, aside from my father, Robin Williams was probably the man I've loved the longest. Ever since "Mork and Mindy," he made me laugh. I grew up with his wacky sense of humor. So I feel like my tears were justified.

  But this all reminded me of why I tend to just ignore the news. (I know I was picking on Fox News in this comic, but the joke wouldn't have worked as well if the MSNBC peacock was reporting.) The news, for the most part, is nothing but fear, fear, fear, and then if you're lucky, they'll have a 30 second story about a lost puppy getting rescued at the end. Maybe. But it's all just food for your fear monster to feed off of.

  I believe the stuff  you think will have a direct impact on the quality of your life. If you're feeding your brain with 24 hours of live coverage of stuff to be afraid of, guess what kind of effect that's going to have on you.

  Some of you are probably thinking, "How do you not watch the news? Don't you want to be informed?" Yes, I do. But I do read, and if there's something that's actually important happening, I'll hear about it elsewhere.

  I'm picking on the news media, but this week, I would encourage you to think about the stuff you're putting into your brain. Whether it's TV, books, music, or even the people you hang out with, be mindful of how these things make you feel. And if it's feeding your fear monster, try to find something more uplifting, or just walk away. (And turn the TV off! Saves on your energy bill too.)

  Sending you lots of love,

  Jillian

Predicting the Future

I have a little "news flash" for those of you who may not have noticed this yet, but life doesn't always work out the way we expect it to. You have to have dreams for your future, of course! But what happens when the way you envisioned your future doesn't work out? What do you do?

  Fear monsters want to give up whenever they get their crystal ball predictions even the tiniest bit wrong. I understand the temptation. Sometimes it's tough to power through that disappointment.

  But guess what? Another "news flash" for you -- if you're still breathing, you still have time! Whether it's chasing your dream, finding love, or running a 4-hour marathon, you can choose to keep trying.

  And tell your fear monster to throw that crystal ball away, and just enjoy the ride.

  Sending you lots of love,

  Jillian

Handyman George

Fear monsters like to fix things. It's in their nature. Sometimes though, they end up trying to fix things that aren't really broken, or they end up breaking things while they're in the process of "fixing" it.

  This is especially true when it comes to yourself. We all have things about ourselves that we wish we could "fix," but what if you're exactly who you need to be right now? What if even the things you view as flaws could be your greatest asset? Your "flaws" and "quirks" are what make you unique!

  And what if... you don't even need to "fix" your feelings? It can be uncomfortable to feel stuff like sadness, or anger, or anxiety. Yes. But so often we fight against these feelings, and in the process miss the message that our emotions are trying to tell us. And when you miss the message, you miss the lesson.

  If you had a friend with a broken heart, there isn't much you can do for them except for to love them, right? Same thing with yourself. You feel whatever you feel. Just love yourself, and I think you'll find that if you can love ALL of you, emotions and all, the emotions will ease up pretty quickly.

  I hope this helps! Let me know in the comments, is there something about yourself that you're trying to fix? Are you ready to let go of the need to fix it and just love yourself instead?

  Lots of love,

  Jillian

Makin' in Rain, Maybe?

George and I have a big announcement today! I've decided to focus on the comics, and I'm going to start drawing the comics daily, starting in September!!

  And you can help! You see, drawing the comics every day is going to be a full time job, and since I'm not one of those lucky people who are independently wealthy, I could use some help in the whole paying the bills department. (Despite what he thinks, George does not actually "make it rain.")

  There is some awesome limited edition merchandise you can get when you support the Indiegogo campaign! And you can even get one-of-a-kind artwork of your fear monster or make a cameo in a future comic!

  So anyway, the comic today is more or less the conversation that George and I had about this particular decision. You see, in my experience, I've found that when you make a decision to follow your heart, there's this weird sort of peace that comes along with it. (AFTER you make the decision. The process leading up to the decision is, of course, absolutely terrifying.) And when you make a decision and feel at peace about it, that's how you know it's the right one!

  At the same time, when you're used to being afraid all the time, the absence of fear. . . well that can be pretty scary too. That's actually the thought I had: "Well crap, now I'm worried that I'm not worried." How silly, right? (Just go with it, Jillian! Enjoy the peace while it lasts!)

  Have you ever experienced that weird sort of peace about a crazy decision? Did it freak you out too? Let me know in the comments!

  Lots of love,

Choosing Your Path

Sometimes life reaches a fork in the road, and you have to make a decision about which path to take. Making a choice can be scary, especially when it seems that choice will be permanent. You can ask for advice, meditate, pray, journal, and all sorts of other things to try and determine what will be best.

  And then your fear monster gets involved... and so often, they like to make decisions based on the past. But, hopefully George helped to illustrate just how silly that is. Things change. Situations change. People change. You change. To make a decision based on who you used to be is just as silly as taking a road sign down the path with you because you might need it again.

  So, where in your life are you making choices based on who you used to be? It feels crappy doesn't it? Are you ready to make a decision based on who you are today? (Let me know in the comments!)

  Go forth and be happy!

  Lots of love,

The Illusion of Kind of Having Control Over Stuff

Whenever you're feeling anxious, chances are it's because your fear monster has confused the things you can control and the things you can't.

  It's pretty easy to freak out about things you can't control. That's normal. But when you do that, often times that means you'll be wasting precious brain processing power on worrying, rather than figuring out solutions to the things you can control.

  Acceptance is key. When you can talk your fear monster into accepting that you are not the omnipotent ruler of the Universe, then you can focus your time and energy where it's needed most.

  Just like George can't control the outcome of the World Cup (and yes, George and I are cheering for Spain -- I'll cheer for the USA too, but I mean come on, that's like hoping the Cubs will win the World Series), there are also lots of things that you don't have any power over.

  But that doesn't mean you don't have power! Give yourself credit for the things you CAN do. And then do them! You'll feel a lot better.

  Lots of love,

The Hero's Journey

Whenever you have a dream, something you want to accomplish, your fear monster is bound to show up and have a very loud opinion about it.

Sometimes fear monsters are afraid of failure, and that's relatively understandable. But sometimes they're also afraid of wild and crazy success.

Marianne Williamson said,

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most  frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do."

So, as we end another week, ask yourself how you're holding yourself back. Ask if you can play bigger. The world needs more happy people. So, go out there and chase your dreams and be blissful!

Lots of love,