"أطعم مخاوفك وستجوع إيمانك. أطعم إيمانك وستجوع مخاوفك."

Picture this: you're standing at a crossroads. On one path, there's fear—a lurking shadow that grows bigger and scarier the more you think about it. On the other path, there's faith—a warm light that gets brighter and stronger the more you nurture it. The core idea here is that the more you focus on your fears, the more they'll dominate your life. But if you choose to focus on faith, that trust in something bigger than yourself, your fears will diminish.

Historically, this kind of wisdom has been about choosing where to place your mental energy. Think about the times you’ve been paralyzed by fear. Maybe it was the fear of failure before a big presentation or the fear of rejection before asking someone out. Focusing on these fears made them feel huge, didn’t it? It’s like they were taking up all the space in your mind. But there are those moments, too, when you’ve let faith guide you—faith in your abilities, faith in the process, or faith in the people supporting you. Those times, fear seemed to shrink into the background.

Let me tell you about someone I know, we'll call her Sarah. Sarah was terrified of public speaking. The idea of standing in front of a crowd made her feel sick. She’d focus on all the things that could go wrong—forgetting her words, people laughing at her, stumbling over her lines. As you can guess, each time she fed these fears, her anxiety only grew.

One day, she decided to change her approach. She started feeding her faith instead. She began with small steps: joining a local Toastmasters group, practicing her speeches in front of a mirror, and visualizing herself succeeding. Slowly but surely, her faith in herself grew stronger. She fed her faith with positive affirmations, preparation, and the support of her friends. And guess what? Her fears started to starve. She’s now a confident speaker who occasionally feels a twinge of nervousness but knows she can handle it.

So how can you apply this wisdom? Start by recognizing when you're feeding your fears. Are you dwelling on negative possibilities? Are you letting 'what if' scenarios run wild in your mind? Pause. Shift your focus. Start feeding your faith instead. This could mean taking small steps towards your goal, surrounding yourself with positive influences, or simply reminding yourself of past successes. Think about the energy you’re investing. Switch it up.

Imagine you’re about to start a new job. The fear of not fitting in or not being good enough can be overwhelming. But instead of feeding those fears, focus on your faith. Feed the belief that you were hired for a reason, that you bring unique strengths to the table, and that you have the capacity to learn and grow. Visualize successful days at work, remind yourself of your achievements, and seek out mentors who inspire confidence in you.

It’s like planting a garden. If you water and tend to the weeds—your fears—they’ll overrun the place. But if you nurture the flowers—your faith—they’ll bloom beautifully, pushing the weeds into the shadows. So next time you’re at a crossroads, ask yourself: what do you want to feed? Your fears or your faith? Choose wisely, because what you water will grow.