Hey guys! Welcome back for another blog post!
So let's address fear this week. Fear sucks. Figuritively and literally. It drains our energy. It cripples us. It causes us to make some less than productive choices. Sure there's healthy fear. You can find information all over the place talking about the healthy aspects of fear. Clearly, that's not the subject I'm writing about though. Since I'm talking about the "bad" fear, I have to say it's a good thing I'm not afraid of anything. At least, that's what I've told myself for years.
When I was young, I was extremely afraid of spiders. When I saw a spider, I would scream my best "scream queen" scream and run as far away as I could as fast as I could. At some point I developed the idea that as a man I couldn't be afraid like that. I think the idea was partly macho, and partly reason. So I began to face my fears and overcome them one by one, until finally there was nothing left for me to be afraid of.
Here's the thing though. Fear is such an insidious thing, that I have been living in fear my entire life without realizing it. It's easy to identify things like fear of spiders, or fear of heights. I have discovered that it's possible to even be afraid of fear itself. It's also possible to be afraid of telling the truth, to others or yourself. You can be afraid of change. You could have both together.
I have been telling myself for years that I am a person who embraces change. I embrace it so well that every couple of weeks I change the direction of my entire life. Interestingly, this has the effect of creating a changeless environment, because nothing truly changes and I'm left with an unsatisfying baseline. The definition of progress is moving consistently in the same direction. The truth is I've been lying to myself. If I truly was to be a person to embrace change, then I would allow the process of change to take hold. Instead, I've been standing behind the shield of "I've lost interest..."
A few weeks ago I started this blog. Another one of my notorious changes in a predictable schedule of change. As usual, this was precipitated by a series of other changes. This time though, I started this journey knowing that I can't stick to anything. I embraced this enthusiastically and wondered how long I would stay interested. Last night, I almost backed out. I almost called it quits on the blog. Fortunately, I've made a commitment to you guys, and I have an awesome wife who reminded me of how important this is to me.
It's so easy to fall victim to this insidious thing called fear. As I reflected on this it occurred to me that fear is something that stands in the way of a lot of creative individuals. I've talked in the past, rather vehemently about motivation in regards to art. I've said if you've got something to say, then you'll say it with your art. I've said there's no shortage of ideas for people who truly look for them. I've said that if you truly have a passionate message then you'll be motivated to do your art. Hands down, problem solved. But that's not the entire picture is it? There's this fear that we have. Will our art be liked? Will it turn out the way we expect? Will it have the intended effect? Will it get published? Will it take time away from other things? What are we missing out on? What will our friends think? These questions are all hallmarks of fear, and there are plenty more.
The only advice I've ever accepted about fear is the need to face it and overcome it. Every time I've done so, I've always been better for it. This is no different. The nature of this fear may not be so tangible, but it's still something that needs to be faced and overcome. The first step is naming it. The rest falls into place relatively easily as long as I continue to steer the course of courage.
It's time to face my fear of change.
It's time to face my fear of commitment.
It's time to face my fear of completion.
It's time to commit to this change of course that I have prescribed for myself.
Stick with me, and we'll get wise together.
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Day Wisp
Radioactive Breakthrough
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