23rd
Facing Fear
There’s a lot of times in life when hesitate. We aren’t sure. We don’t know what to do. They’re these little moments where fear manifests itself and stops us.
It stops us from moving. From acting. From taking a risk. From trying. From succeeding, and from failing.
There are good aspects to fear. Like pain, it can tell you when to stop, when danger is imminent. However it can keep you from making important decisions.
It’s called being safe. Now, safe, sometimes is good. Like looking before crossing the street. Or not grabbing a hot pan.
But sometimes, its not. Like a decision to try something new. And outside of things like drugs, new things can be really eye-opening, and even change your life. People tend to unconsciously associate failure with fear, with taking risk always the precursor to imagined failure.
What’s funny, maybe, is that the safe route can lead to failure too. It’s not always the thing to do. In a recession or downturn like now, everyone defaults to acting conservatively. This is the perfect time to take a risk. I just read a blog that talked about it, and said “and if you fail, you can always blame the economy!”. But considering the conservative sameness of those around you, it could be just the thing to differentiate.
Next time something scares the crap out of you, try it. I’m not saying do something stupid, and there’s such things as calculated risks.
Let’s say its an idea. Sometimes, ideas will make you feel lukewarm. Others will make you feel mildly good, and the rare one will scare you. You won’t know how to do it, how to sell it, maybe not even how to visualize it.
But the fear that it will instill in you won’t leave. That’s where you face it.
And take the risk.
