Have you ever been afraid? I mean, really afraid? Wondering if you really can do something you want to do? Afraid you may fail?
What is the root of fear? Some say FEAR is False Evidence Apearing Real. I say it’s our mind doubting our own true potential. I think we all have greatness inside us. Every single person on this planet can make a difference. In fact… We all do… in one way or another, we affect each other in ways we will never see or know or comprehend. So what is your greatest fear? I have read so much about the fear of failure. How it can handicap an athlete or a business person, or you… how it holds you back from what you so desire. Think about the one thing that you would do if you knew you couldn’t fail. It takes courage to be a doer. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and watch. Perhaps one of my favorite quotes is the one on our office door at ETC, by Theodore Roosevelt. It’s so powerful, I am going to give you the whole thing:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short time and time again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
It’s about showing up, every day, and doing the “thing” that has to be done… about daring greatly. About feeling fear, and doing it anyway. Looking fear in the face and pressing on–around, over and through, no matter how high or how deep. Sometimes we fear that which we don’t know… and even more often than not, we fear our greatest power being realized. It’s called the fear of success. And you may be like me when I first heard that… thinking “NO WAY”… how can you be afraid to be successful. And I can tell you more so now then ever, I understand it. Pro athletes I have worked with have proven this to me. WE are more often afraid of being greater than we imagined than we are afraid of not being good enough. And sometimes, they work in tandem. They can handicap you. They often are what holds back even the greatest of success stories.
Awareness is number one. Know and understand what your fears are. So… what are you afraid of? Challenge yourself to do ONE thing you are afraid of today. You will realize in no time, that it wasn’t as scary as you first thought. Feel fear… Do it anyway. And in the process, learn to love the newness of life. Because after all, our greatness is what shapes us. And fear or not, we are made to realize it. Besides, what is the absolute worst thing that could happen? Nothing usually…
