Fear can be a great motivator. It can drive you to do amazing things to survive dangerous situations or drive you to overcome obstacles in life. I also see how it can hold you back. The fear of the unknown, fear of failure and sometimes even fear of success can hold you back. It is a topic I brood upon often.
Years ago I saw the 1991 movie "Defending Your Life" on t.v. The premise is that when you die, you must defend your life to a panel of judges and prove that you lived life with courage and overcame your fears in life. If you couldn't prove this, you were sent back and reincarnated to try it all over again. It is an interesting premise and one I have thought about often since seeing the movie.
I can remember as a kid being told by my stepdad to try new things, even if the fear of it had me shaking in my boots and crying, "I don't want to!!" Over the years, I don't think most of my friends would call me fearful or timid. I try lots of new things and have taken a few calculated risks and some not so calculated. I have conquered a lot of fears, but I think there a few more to overcome. I still see a cloud of fear hanging over parts of my life.
For example, people say that we all have some inner dream we want to have fullfilled. Some will say they are living their dreams. Others will tell you what they dream about and others, like me, tend to not really say their true dreams. Why aren't people pursing their dream? Fear of failure? Fear of the risks involved? Fear of rejection from friends and family? Fear of change? I say these same fears keep people like me kind of quiet about our real dreams too.
But, how about this? If those fears are holding me back from my dream, is it really my dream? If it was really my dream, wouldn't I do what I could to achieve it?
See, I think sometimes I think too much.
