I have a friend who is fearless. He bungee jumps off bridges, tra
vels the world on a shoe string, says YES all the time, writes a great blog, organizes charity events, teaches and performs music around the globe. He is truly inspiring. Check out his blog here: http://powerspercussion.com/on-trust-and-never-ever-looking-back
But for the rest of us? Well, I for one, am not ready to bungee jump off any stinking bridge!
Skydiving?- forget it!
Paragliding?- you’ve got to be joking.
TRY THE TUNA MELT?
My battles with fear are much more mundane: Should I speak up and say what I believe ? Write anything-ever? Drive in the big city? Try the tuna melt?
Everywhere fear tries to squeeze me us into it’s mold. And to make matters worse,we live in a Fear-Addicted world. We’ve been programmed from birth to respond to fear. Don’t believe it? Just check out a few TV commercials. Everything from insurance to mouthwash is peddled on a fear basis (just try and imagine TV news sans Fear).
SURVEY SAYS..
And yet,………………….we secretly admire the fearless life.
Something inside us yearns to make a difference: rescue the damsel, speak up for the oppressed, try the tuna melt.
And dad gummit,.. we’d do it too,.. only ( ) insert your excuse here……
Yup, boil it down and you’re always back to Fear.
BABY STEPS
If you talked to my friend one on one, I’d wager you he’d say his journey towards fearless living was,..well,…. just that.
A journey.
A journey made up of steps. Little Steps.
Baby Steps
ALL TOGETHER NOW
Are you tired of being held back by fear? Well, then repeat after me:
F#%$ THE FEAR- DO IT ANY!
(say it until you mean it)
And then put your right foot forward and take a..
BABY STEP.
Your BABY STEP might be:
Show up
Write that blog post
Make the sales call
Sign up for the class
Get that tattoo
Ask for the interview
Seek a mentor’s help with your project
Voice your opinion
Say NO instead of yes
Stop apologizing
Drive to the big city
Ask for the Raise
And TRY THE TUNA MELT!
What do you think?
What baby steps have you taken? 
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my, Steve, I could write a book. and you would say “write it.” Fear is certainly a killer of dreams, that’s all I’ll say. Great post, great blog. jim
Jim, that’s right! Write it! I can hardly wai to read it.
I hope you start today. Thanks for the comments!
Haha- thanks for the super awesome mention, Steve!
As you wrote, conquering fear often is simply a series of baby steps. I’m dealing with that once again right now, as I slowly baby step my way toward becoming comfortable in water and learning how to swim. I have deep-seated issues that, one-by-one, have to be recognized, broken down and tackled. Living completely fearlessly may not be possible (nor any fun, for that matter). But living completely determined to overcome any that stand in your way? Now that, my friend, is a goal worth striving toward!
Thanks again, man! Keep the great posts comin’
Mark Powers recently posted..On Trust And Never Ever Looking Back
Thanks for all the inspiration Mark! Maybe someday I’ll be ready to bungee jump w/ you
Fear, uncertainty and doubt. Mighty FUD keeps us away from tuna, working a job we don’t like, stuck in a relationship that hurts. It is about baby steps, and maybe a few affirmations. I just finished a book by ye ole Stephen King (Duma Key) and his protag was a 1-armed painter, recovering from a tragic accident. His mantra: I can do this. I liked it so well I wrote it down. (Fortunately nothing scary-creepy is happening to me, yet) Another one: Audacious Joy. I dig that. Thanks for a great post.
…Some other time I’ll tell you about my airplane ride — I wasn’t a jumper but I had the ride of a lifetime.
Susan, the copywriter/editor recently posted..Survey says- Writers like silence! Read on to learn about every writer’s pain
Susan,..great stuff….the mighty FUD. Can I quote you?
I am gearing up for a balloon ride, but no jumping out of any high so far!
PS. We all want to hear your airplane story
I’m trying to schedule sky diving for Tom’s b-day this year! Should be awesome! You should come and watch… that would be conquering fear! Watching your little girl jump out of a plane… Look Dad, no hands!
Rachy,
OK! I’m in! Let me know when! Thanks for the comment…Love you!
Steve-o recently posted..Zenwords from Reno
Fear of making big trips? Force yourself to go to China for 2 weeks. . . . Hey, Start, DO, Now works!!
Kevin, Way to go! You made a big step forward…. next we’ll try busking in downtown Salem