Courage, Strength & Beauty

Living without fears.

Strong.

Indestructible.
“ Fear is a reaction.
Fear is reaction.
Courage is a Decision
Courage is Decision
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 6: Visualization

CHAPTER 1: What is Fear? CHAPTER 7: Journalism

CHAPTER 2: Methods of CHAPTER 8: Gratitude

Dealing with Fear
CHAPTER 9: Researching
CHAPTER 3: Tapping
CHAPTER 10: Act as If
CHAPTER 4: Meditation
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 5: Positive
Affirmations
Take time to do what makes your soul happy.
Introduction
There I was, standing with my back at one of the classroom
doors during recess. The toughest part of being in school was
when everybody was free from the rigid classroom setting.

They were let loose to play and be with who they wished. It was
horrifying for me. I had no one to be with; I wasn’t part of any
group. I had struggled, but came to realize that I did’t fit in
anywhere or with anyone.

So, I was confronted with the bitter taste of

being alone, observing everybody else
laughing and comfortable within their group
of classmates.

I couldn’t figure it out.

Even the so-called “nerds” had their group.

“
You´re a fighter. Look at
everything you’ve overcome.
Don’t give up n0w!
 Why didn't I belong to a group or have at least one human to
hang out with?

But there was a special pleasure in being alone against that

classroom door.

It didn’t require for me to be entertaining or impressing anybody

or making anyone appreciate and accept me. The door didn’t
judge me, and that’s where I remained for many recesses to come.

But like a quote I have seen on many occasions

says:

“A ship at bay is protected from the ocean perils.

But, that’s not what a ship was created for.”
Ultimately, the dread won’t pass away. So,
you will have to do it frightened.
I had admitted to myself I was scared of rejection, profoundly
afraid, but if I remained glued to that classroom door, nothing
would ever get better.
 So I switched my way of thinking, which is what
happened first, and that changed everything.
I became receptive to the risk of doing something extraordinary to get a
unique result. And from this determination only, spaces opened up for me. I
stepped into a place where I was more hopeful. I could take a few steps away
from the door and towards connecting with someone. At least, ONE person.
After a period of hanging out with the classroom doors, I had resolved to put a
finish to my suffering state and glanced around at what was taking place in
my surroundings.
From noticing what was going on around me, I caught a mysterious girl that
was doing the same thing I was, staying attached to the classroom doors. We
both already had something in common! So, I reached out to her and said:
“
It's pretty scary trying to fit in, isn’t
it?” She nodded.
Later I thought, this was an individual who, like me, was seeking for
true friendship and not merely being part of the flock.
So my eyes lightened when I caught her reaction, and I answered:
"Why don’t we work this out together? Let’s crush the system and be our
own identities”, I suggested this with every thread of my being experiencing
the strength of a champion.
But I wished to be true with her: “Would you like to be my friend?¨, I
inquired. I was carrying my heart on my sleeve, taking the chance of being
rejected. But I chose the risk. This was the type of friendship I needed to
have: authentic and vulnerable. She grinned and added:

“Best buddies. Forever.”

And one day
She discovered
That she was fierce,
And strong,
And full of fire,
And that not even
She could
Hold herself back
Because her passion
Burned brighter
Than her fears.
What you will learn from
reading this book
This book may be the key
which unlocks the secret to
finding out what fears really
are and how simple it is to
conquer them.
We will plunge into the topic of
what is fear, how our past
experiences determine what
we fear now, mastering new
forms of reacting to our fears,
methods and techniques of
reducing our fearful responses
and believing success is
achievable in defeating
those fears once and for all.
Are you ready to step into
being the lion you
undoubtedly are?
Are you ready to ROAR?
 HI! My name is Annie.

I wrote my book
Courage, Strength &
Beauty, in order to
help teenagers and
adults suffering from
fear, to develop the
courage they need to
live freely in the world
and be the strongest
version of themselves
they can be.
I will take you
on this
adventure of
seeing your
fears and
knowing
where they
come from
and how to
ultimately
CRUSH them
and turn you
into the
person you
are meant to
be.
CHAPTER ONE
What is FEAR?
What is Fear?
F-alse
Fear is a state of
mind. Our brains tell us
E-vents
that something is a A-ppearing
reason to be afraid of
and we proceed by
R-eal
F-eel
So our fears are
triggering an emotion
sometimes in the form actually a perceived
E-valuate
reality which in most
of anxiety or panic.
Fear can take over our cases doesn’t exist or
A-ct
lives if we let it and the isn’t true. But how do
sole means of surviving we make our brains
R-elax
our fears are to see this?
understand where they
develop from and why
Let’s try changing
they occur. Many
our FEAR acronym to:
people like to apply the
FEAR acronym:
Never trust your fears.
They don’t know your
strengths. -Athena
Singh
 Doesn’t that sound better?
How does this If it's a learned fear,
acronym help us? We and it's not

F-eel require to first identify

the sensation in our
life-menacing, we will
see we can function

E-valuate body when fear

creeps up. We need
as if we were secure
and let go of the wish

A-ct to then evaluate

where the fear is
of wanting to run
away and hide.

R-elax coming from and if it

is a learned fear or an
After we act then
we can relax knowing
actual fear. we reacted to the fear
After that, based on in a healthy way.
our answer to the
second query we will
realize how to Act.
RE A
 Where do fears come
from?
Most of our fear develop
from early experiences
where we have been
injured or have
encountered suffering as
a result of something that
happened. We didn’t
understand how to
handle these emotions
when they showed up
because we were too
young, perhaps as
teenagers, like in the story
I shared with you at the
beginning of the book. We
learn to fear so many
factors throughout our
lives, and fear of rejection
is a powerful one.
 Fears that come from
childhood and teenage days.
These are our developmental years
where we suck everything up like a
sponge and base our identities and
beliefs about ourselves and life in
general, on the events we have
during those times.
This is the reason why it's so
necessary to have someone teens
can depend on to advise them Black
through these stages. They need all
the help you can find to get
through these cases so that they
arise becoming a stronger person
and not at a bigger disadvantage.

Most of all these fears result in Fear of Rejection which is in the Top 10 list of fears in the world
Use charts to explain
your ideas

The Fight or Flight Response

The Wikipedia definition of this theory is: “The
fight-or-flight response (also called
hyperarousal, or the acute stress response) is a
physiological reaction that occurs in response to
a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to
survival.”
NOTICE!!

The term “perceived” in this

explanation. This leads us back
to what we were evaluating as
legitimate fears or learned fears.
You may have picked up from a
very new age that it is dangerous
to speak up and express your
point of view because you would
always get immediately shot
down and censured when you
tried to say something..
This may cause the following
scenario…..
A Dinner Party with Friends

You are at a dinner table

with a group of friends, and
you are called on to share in
the conversation with your
own views. You are
immediately triggered to go
to fight-or-flight response,
where fear kicks in and you
either react defensively or
totally run away from the
question and hide the rest of
the evening.
“ So, what in the
heck are we
supposed to
do???
Remember the FEAR
acronym?
The critical matter to accomplish now is:
F-eel
1. To FEEL the feeling (recall the first letter of
our FEAR acronym),
E-valuate
2. EVALUATE if it's an absolute or learned
fear
A-ct
3. Determine to ACT differently than you
ordinarily would, and
R-elax
4. RELAX watching the extraordinary results
you receive from choosing other actions.

See how the FEAR acronym works?

It’s brilliant!
“Confidence is created by the
small things you do every
single day that build trust in
yourself.” -Mel Robbins
 CHAPTER
CHAPTER TWO
ONE
Methods of Decreasing
What is FEAR? Fear
You didn’t think I was going to leave with you without
any tools did you?
Here's a quick
overview of the methods Actions Steps where they come
you can use to help you 1. Make a list of all the from to give them
deal with your fears and fears you can think of less power over you
we will go more in-depth that you have and
with each one in the
write them down with 3. Relax and give
following chapters.
pen and paper yourself a pat on
• Tapping
the back for doing
• Meditation 2. Evaluate how great introspective
• Positive many of those work on yourself.
affirmations fears are learned
• Visualizations or real fears and
• Journaling reflect on
• Gratitude
• Researching
• Acting as If
So let’s make a commitment right now you will

CHAPTER
CHAPTER TWO
try at least one of these practices in the course of

ONE
this week and watch the results you get from
doing the exercise!!
Methods of Decreasing
What is FEAR? Fear ACTION STEPS:
1. Approach each of these
techniques with an open mind and
positive outlook believing they help
people like us who suffer from fear and
anxiety.
2. Buy a Journal and keep track of all
the things you feel, experience and
learn from trying out all these
techniques we will study in the next
chapters.
3. Have fun experimenting!
 CHAPTER 3
Tapping of EFT Method
 Tapping is a technique defined by the Tapping
Method Solution as: “Like acupuncture and
acupressure, Tapping is a set of techniques which
utilize the body's energy meridian points. You can
stimulate these meridian points by tapping on them
with your fingertips–literally tapping into your body's
own energy and healing power.”
It might sound a little foo-foo to you, but I’ve used
this technique for many reasons and it really helps
calm me down. You tap on these different points on
your face and body while reciting positive
affirmations that allow you to acknowledge your
feelings and then welcome in new thoughts about
how you feel. To the right is a graphic of where the
different tapping points are to help you get
familiarized with the technique.
 Research Validates EFT's Effectiveness
In a critical review published in the American Psychological
Association's (APA) journal Review of General Psychology last year,
researchers found EFT "consistently demonstrated strong effect sizes
and other positive statistical results far exceed chance after relatively
few treatment sessions."
Other recent studies demonstrate how EFT can accomplish
remarkable progress in a very short amount of time for people with a
history of trauma. For example:

• A 2009 study of 16 institutionalized adolescent boys with histories

of physical or psychological abuse showed, substantially decreased
the intensity of traumatic memories after ONE session of EFT.
• An EFT study involving 30 moderately to severely depressed
college students was conducted. The depressed students were given
four 90-minute EFT sessions. Students who received EFT showed
significantly less depression than the control group when evaluated
three weeks later.
 My Favorite Tapping Resources
My favorite Tapping expert is Brad Yates, and
he has a huge list of tapping exercises on
Youtube you can follow along with so you don’t
have to figure this out on your own.
You can find out more about Brad Yates and
Tapping of EFT by clicking on the Brad Yates
link above. A link to his YouTube video to help
deal with fear, stress and anxiety is here.
Action Steps for Chapter 3” Tapping
1. Do a little 2. Try out Brad Remember to be
research about Yate’s fear and
open-minded and
Tapping and panic YouTube
willing to try out new
how it works video and any other
things. This is the
and the benefits of his videos that
only way to get
it has for your draw your attention.
different results
mind, body, and 3. Write in your
than the ones you
emotions. It is a journal what you
have gotten so far.
very powerful liked about the
technique that tapping session and
And it's fun!
can help you what you didn’t like
tremendously. and new ideas of
So enjoy it!
what you can try
next time.
 CHAPTER
CHAPTER 3 4
Tapping of EFT Method
Meditation
I know the mention of meditation may make
you want to reject it right away
At first, my concept of meditation was it was only for Zen masters who
would sit with their legs crossed all day, chanting. And I was like, there is
no way in the world I’m doing that!

But later in my life, I got introduced to all the different types of

meditations that exist and to the concept that meditation can be only 5
minutes long if you wanted it to, or 3 if 5 is too much!

I found guided meditations where someone is talking with soft music in the
background guiding me to breathe and imagine different things to help
me relax my mind and body the most.

The important thing to know about meditation is that you

don’t have to form part of any religion to practice it. In fact,
scientists are researching the health benefits meditation has.
 Medical Research It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity
and that, by practicing meditation, we can

about Meditation play an active role in changing the brain

A study from Harvard shows that
meditation significantly influences how the
brain functions improving its performance:
“Although the practice of meditation is
associated with a sense of peacefulness and
physical relaxation, practitioners have long
claimed meditation also provides cognitive
and psychological benefits that persist
throughout the day.
and can increase our well-being and
quality of life.
Other studies in different patient
populations have shown that meditation
can make significant improvements in a
variety of symptoms, and we are now
investigating the underlying mechanisms
in the brain that facilitate this change.”

This study shows that changes in brain

structure may underlie some of these
reported improvements and that people are
not just feeling better because they are
spending time relaxing.
But I don’t know how to meditate! Where do I even start?
There is a fantastic app for iPhone called Zen that has so
many types of meditations for anything you could ever
imagine. The meditations are fun and interesting to
follow. If you are interested in trying it out, it’s for free.

If not, there are literally thousands of different

meditations you can find on Youtube for any topic you
want: relaxation, abundance, focus, creativity, and much
more. Just write in your YouTube search bar: 5 minute
guided meditation, and you will find a wide assortment of
options.

See what draws your attention, if it doesn’t suit you, try a

different one. All I ask is that you give it an honest try!

You won’t regret it!

 CHAPTER 5
Positive Affirmations
If you haven’t tried Positive
Affirmations, then you don’t
know what you’re missing!
To learn about the influence the power of
affirmations has on your way of thinking
about anything; we have to go to the source,
the guru of positive affirmations: Louis Hay.
If you ever wanted to know anything about
how positive affirmations can change your
life and heal you from any pain or trauma
you may experience, check out Louis Hay’s
Positive Affirmations page
The information I am giving you about
where to find your positive affirmations is
from the lady that practically invented the
practice. She cured herself of a terminal
disease through positive affirmations and
helped thousands of people heal themselves
through the power of affirmations.
Action Steps for Chapter 5: Positive Affirmations
1. Read about the 2. Pick an area of Print out that list
power of your life you
and paste it to
affirmations for consider you need
to improve the way your bathroom
you to be more
informed about you think and feel mirror. Read all
how they can about and find a the affirmations
truly help you in positive affirmation outloud every
your life. Find list on Louis Hay’s
day at least
one good website or a good
place to find them once.
reason for you
to practice as well is on
them on a daily Pinterest.
basis.
CHAPTER 6
Visualizations
What you see in your mind
becomes your reality.
You have the power to manifest
anything if you can just imagine
yourself doing or having your
desired outcome.
 So when you are feeling
scared about going to a party,
or a business meeting, or
taking a test at school, or
having a hard conversation
with your spouse; close your
eyes and imagine the situation
playing itself out in the best
outcome possible.
 “All the breaks you
need in life wait within
your imagination.
Imagination is the
workshop of your
mind, capable of
turning mind energy
into accomplishment
and wealth.”
-Napoleon Hill
Action Steps for Chapter 6: Visualizations
1. Create a vision of imagining what that
version of you would If your main goal
the person you
would like to be. look like and how it right now is to be
Imagine all the would feel to be that free from the
details: physical, person.
fear of financial
personality, how you 2. Create a vision
board with all your
insecurity, then
dress, the way you
goals. Cut out put a picture of a
talk, the way you do
everything. Write pictures and place big bag of cash
down that vision so them on a cork on your vision
you don’t forget it, board and look at
board!
and commit to doing them every day
a visualization for 5 feeling gratitude as
minutes if you already had
them.
CHAPTER 7
Journaling
 Journaling is one of the best and easiest
ways of dealing with our thoughts and feelings
over any situation. The fact you write what you
are feeling with pen and paper sends a motor
signal which connects from your hand to your
brain allowing you to feel relief while you write.
You may say, but I’m not a writer, I don’t know
what to write! Just open the page of your
journal and start writing whatever comes to
mind and, write and write until you have let out
everything you feel. You will see something
magical happens as you write for a few minutes
straight. You begin to write out solutions to
your problems and find a positive balance once
again.
You can start creating a journaling routine
where you put on soft music and a candle and
pick a favorite spot in your home to just
connect with yourself and leave all negative
feelings behind.
Action Steps for Chapter 7: Journaling
1. Buy a journal with This cathartic After a week of
a nice design on the method will help you journaling every
outside that inspires let go of those day, look back
you to write. Make it emotions instead of
on your first
your sacred space keeping them
and write in it at the bottled up inside. entry. See how
end of each day or If you need much you have
whenever you need inspiration about changed since
to throughout the what you could
then.
day to help you deal journal about check
with any emotions out this list of
that are troubling questions that can
you. get you reflecting.
CHAPTER 8
Gratitude
 Gratitude is the single most
important thing we need to cultivate
in our lives every day. From the
moment we wake up in the morning until
the moment before we close our eyes to
go to sleep at night.
An attitude of gratitude, will keep us
focused on the positive and seeing the
good things we possess in our lives,
rather than focusing on what is missing,
or what we wish were different.
The best part about having an
attitude of gratitude is the more we focus
on being grateful the more good things
we will attract into our lives. This positive
viewpoint will send out positive energy
into the Universe and give out the signal:
Yes! I am happy with what I already
have and I am ready to receive more!
Action Steps for Chapter 8: Gratitude
You can use your
Every morning I’m sure you can
journal to write
write out 5 things come up with 5
you are grateful for. things to be grateful
out your
It can be anything, for every day, and by Gratitude lists
like being grateful making a list of them every morning.
for the air you you are filling You will see
breathe, or that you yourself with positive
amazing things
have two arms and energy you will carry
legs, or for the out throughout your happen when
beautiful sunny day day and attract you live in a
outside. more things to be grateful state!
grateful for.
CHAPTER 9
Research
 Researching involves reading books, articles
on the internet, blogs, magazines, listening to
motivational talks such as TED talks, and much
more. This is to help you understand your
feelings better and be able to handle them in
healthy ways and find solutions to your situation.
We should always be in a constant search for
new information, feeding our brains with positivity
from what we learn from our research. Follow
blogs that post articles about positivity,
self-esteem, motivation, productivity. Join
Facebook groups where you can find
communities that are going through the same
difficulties as you are and ask for advice and
guidance to handle your situations.
Anything which is positive and will feed your
brain with the right way of seeing things will help
in giving you the right perspective on life.
Action Steps for Chapter 9: Research
1. Search for a book on 2. Research blogs, articles 4. Chose a Facebook
Amazon in the category on the internet, group to join that
of self-esteem and etc. and chose to follow deals with the
courage, facing one’s at least one blog you
subjects you need
fears. Before choosing feel identified with that
help with and engage
what book to read, look can help you with the
in the community
at the reviews and read subjects of
self-confidence,
regularly. Became a
the first few pages of
motivation, happiness, part of a community
the book online with the
Look-Inside option as and life purpose by posting questions
well as the table of 3. Begin your day by and problems you
contents and reading positive might deal with so the
introduction and information to get your members can give you
evaluate if its the right mind thinking in the support and guidance
book for you. right direction and to
have the right outlook
for your day.
Watch this video
with Susan David
called The Gift
and Power of
Emotional
Courage.
She explains how
it is natural to
feel fear and that
it is courageous
to feel the
emotions that
come with them.
She says:
“Courage is not
an absence of
fear. Courage is
fear WALKING.”
CHAPTER 10
Act as If
CHAPTER 10
Act as If
 If all else fails…
Act as If!!
This is the one
technique that has
helped me the most.
If I am afraid of a
business meeting I
have that could be
complicated and
difficult to handle, I
make sure I dress
professionally and
use my acting skills to
play the part of
someone that is
confident and has
self-esteem and
believes in herself as
she speaks.
 By acting as if I were
that person, no matter how
I feel about myself, I AM
that person. And the more
I act as if, the closer I
become to BELIEVING I
am that person.
Then I become my
own...
SUPERHERO!!
 So the next time you are scared
of handling a certain situation
which causes you fear because of
what may happen, pay close
attention to what you are wearing
(what you look like outside reflects
how you feel inside), how you talk,
and the way you express yourself
with your body language.

All these factors influence

how YOU and others see you.
Action Steps for Chapter 10: Act as If
1. Prepare for all the details of
handling a your physical A little
conversation, appearance.
meeting or any type
secret: You
of situation you may 2. Focus on picturing already ARE
be feeling anxious in your mind how a
about by picking out successful, that person,
something to wear confident person you just
that makes you feel would behave and
great about yourself. Act as If you were have to
Put on perfume, that person. Do it
make sure your hair until you actually
BELIEVE
is combed with style, believe it. that you are.
and pay attention to
 We defined what the right FEAR
acronym is:

F-eel
E-valuate
A-ct
R-elax

And that the methods of decreasing

our fear include:

F-eel
Tapping
Meditation
E-valuate
Positive Affirmations
A-ct Visualizations
R-elax
Journaling
Gratitude
Researching
Act as If
Remember...
Small steps toward becoming the vision of yourself you
want to be, are the victories that will take you to your
ultimate goal. We won’t change from one day to the
next, and we don’t have to. What’s important to
remember is that its progress, not perfection we are
looking for.

Remember to ROAR every day from now on! But

courage does not always roar.

Sometimes courage is that quiet voice at the end of the

day saying: “I will try again tomorrow.
Final Note from the Author
Be true to yourself. Life is a journey of self-discovery, everyone wants to
tell you who to be, what to do, what success in life looks like; what should exist
in order for you to be happy.
You get pulled left and right by so many forces: religion, your parents, your
friends, relationships, society. They all offer rules; the way things should be.
If you follow what everyone else tells you to do all your life, you will end up
with a life that isn’t what you really want. You will fool yourself into later
thinking you should be happy because you followed all the rules.
But fitting into a cookie-cutter way of living your life will never make you
happy. It might make others happy to see you follow their advice and the
rules they believe should exist to achieve happiness. But it won’t make YOU
happy.
I was never a follower, and it got me into trouble throughout my life. But it
paid off in the end. I found my own happiness after wasting time trying to be
someone I was not. I make the rules in my life now. That’s why I am happy
and will continue to be happy for the rest of my life as long as I continue to
live free from what others tell me to do. With Love, Annie
Thank you!
And if you liked this short ebook and can think of
any friends that might enjoy it as well, share it on
your social media so that you may have people to
discuss these topics with and even create a group
of people that are implementing them!

I am Annie McGrath
I would love to hear your feedback about my
book and you can subscribe to my Newsletter
admin@askannieonline.com