I’m going to come right out and say it: I don’t like being
afraid. It’s not a good feeling. I like security. I like consistency, loyalty,
reliability. I like knowing what tomorrow will bring. I like going into most every
situation knowing what to expect.
I’ve said it before that fear is a good thing because it shows
you that you care about something enough to be afraid of not getting good
results.
But being afraid sucks, you say. Can’t I just live not being
afraid of anything?
Sure. It’s called living in your comfort zone, and it’s
something we do pretty much every day. It’s what enables some of us to give a
speech in front of 500 people and never flinch. It’s what allows some of us to
score that game-winning goal, grill that steak with your eyes closed, or simply,
to dance.
Here’s the kicker: you were not born great at those things. You became
great. And becoming great is the exact same thing as expanding our comfort
zone.
So yes, if you don’t want to be afraid, go ahead and don’t
try anything new. But if you want to be great, fear is part of the experience.
How will you appreciate the satisfaction of being awesome if you’ve never known
the uncertainty of being afraid?
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to attempt a stir fry.
Editor’s note: This post is much shorter than the others by
about half. This is because I’m a bit sick of writing about fear. Thinking
about it for such long periods of time leaves me with a weird sense of dread.
Look, you’re going to get scared and it’s going to suck.
Fear hates it when you start your work. Start it. Fear hates it when you keep
doing your work. Do it. Fear hates it when you gather enough courage to publish
that paper or serve those cookies. Publish it, and serve them. Fear hates it
when we take feedback and strive to improve. Improve.
In short, fear hates action. Act.
This concludes the
three-part series on Fear. Part one on the Fear of Failure can be found here.
Part two on the Fear of Success can be found here.
Next week, I’ll share my thoughts on self-motivation, a topic requested by a
good friend. If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, please let me know in
the comments below, or on Twitter @JeremyDeMello.