All creatures feel fear. Whether you are a lion or a mouse, the fear of something threatening the comfortable or safe places we reside has the potential to overcome us and stifle the amazing beings we are meant to be. Fear is an emotional belief that affects our heart rate, blood pressure, skin tone, mental stability - you name it - but the bottom line is that it affects our precious well-being. When we are faced with the events that life presents - like the loss of a job, loved one or an illness, the motivation to change becomes a priority. Motivation is the energy that moves us forward into enacting change in our lives.

We have two choices when it comes to motivation: We are either motivated by the all well known carrot dangling in front of us, or the fear of something bad happening. This notion of fear enacting change relates to all aspects of life. Whether it is our weight, lifestyle, jobs or relationships, sometimes the motivation to change comes from the desperate and despaired feelings of fear.

Years ago when I was working on a science project with my kids, we collected frog eggs from a nearby creek for observations and cycle studies. We put the cluster of eggs safely in an outside aquarium with a raccoon-proof lid and waited. Within weeks all of the eggs from the cluster had hatched and the pollywogs were happily growing in our provided environment. We fed them grass clippings, apple cores and pieces of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and within a short time they began to grow their legs and shrink their long swimming tails.

A large rock with a boat ramp edge in the center provided the protection from the sun during the day and the ladder to the next environment of breathing air for the rapidly changing pollywogs, as they morphed into frogs. All the pollywogs advanced at the same, within days of each other . except one. This particular pollywog didn't grow its legs like the others and began to plump up its body and extend its tail. I thought maybe we collected another type of species and possibility a toad of some kind. It seemed very odd, since all of the other eggs were clustered together in a gel like mass, but we continued to observe them all and record their growth cycles. In no time, the now mature frogs were all sitting up on the rock and sunning themselves in the afternoon suns and taking short swims for algae snacks or drinks of water, except the one "plumped up" pollywog that didn't grow its legs.

It was the beginning of summer and we collected all the frogs from our aquarium and returned to the creek to release them in their birth location - all of them except the one who didn't grow its legs. Time went on and summer days grew warmer and began to move into fall. The plump pollywog still thrived in the aquarium, happily by itself, and continued to eat algae and bits of food on the bottom of the tank. Any mosquito eggs or larva that grew in the tank was eaten up by the plump pollywog who continued to keep its environment healthy and slimy.

We forgot about the plump pollywog most of the time as fall moved into winter, and the rains began to fill the aquarium almost to the top. The days became shorter and the nights longer and colder. Every now and then we would lift the lid just to see if the pollywog was still alive or had grown any legs. But, the plump pollywog was always the same.

Winter then moved into early spring as the cherry trees began to sprout and the sour grass made its appearance. Tall grasses grew up around the aquarium and the water color was murky and green, but the pollywog still swam along the bottom, eating algae and pieces of floating grass or leaves that fell through the cracks. We were surprised to see that the plump pollywog was still alive throughout the winter and still hadn't grown legs. Even if it may have been another species, it surely would have sprouted legs by now . Wouldn't it?

Bulbs of all colors were now pushing up through the wet dirt surrounding the aquarium and we were into full spring. One of the science teachers remembered our cycle study on frogs and was asking how it went for us. I commented on how wonderful it was to see each stage very quickly, except one pollywog that grew plumper and never grew its legs the entire year. She said, "Well, that's because your plump pollywog is content and comfortable. In order for it to change, it needs to be fearful that the water may dry up and its environment may change. You have provided a comfortable home for your pollywog. He doesn't want to leave."

With that information, I went home and checked again on our now year-old pollywog, who was swimming happily through the algae. I decide to change the water in the aquarium and shake things up a bit. I swished out most of the water and let the pollywog experience swimming in much less water, as I blasted the hose at the boat ramp rock a few times. The plump pollywog swam faster than I had ever seen it swim before, and it scurried close to the rock, seeking cover and safety from the hose.

A day later, I scooped out more water and left very little in the bottom, just enough to swim about. The pollywog swam fast, trying to hide from my shadows.

A couple of days past and I went outside to make sure the small amount of water left in the aquarium hadn't dried up. To my surprise, the plump pollywog was growing the small nubs for legs on the sides of its plump body. Its tail was now shrinking and our plump pollywog was beginning to taper its body as its legs began to grow. In no time, the plump pollywog was swimming strong and beginning to use its legs to climb up on the rock in the center.

It took fear to motivate the pollywog into changing and "moving on" with its life. It's the same for us; it's so easy to be comfortable in the same environment that can become stagnant and avoid moving on in one's life. If the plump pollywog hadn't feared its environment might change, it might not have ever experienced the fabulous new life on land and the experiences of living in a new environment.

To continue to grow in a mentally and physically healthy state, we must seek improvement and continuously move forward along our paths and towards our goals and desires in life. If we remain the same, we cannot experience change and newness. Fear is not a comfortable feeling, but I'm afraid to say, sometimes that's what it takes to get us moving. Yet becoming aware of this and consciously recognizing the physical effects from the deep gnawing feelings of fear, you can set yourself forward to move through your fears. Your conscious awareness can help to alleviate extra stress and symptoms that arise from fear. Remember, "growing legs," or any type of life change is nothing to fear; it is merely an opportunity to become who you are truly meant to be.

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