The topic of fear keeps arising for me, so I can’t ignore it. The subject intersects with what I talked about last week: taking risks and letting go of comfort zones. Letting go of comfort zones is what bold thinkers, artists, and activists do. Each of us is a thinker, artist, and activist. It’s to what degree of boldness that matters. I wrote:
We must risk the uncertain. Uncertainty is the freedom we’re looking for—if we can allow ourselves to see it. If we allow ourselves to see that what we believe to be safe is not at all safe. (Read the post here.)
To that I’d like to add: We must risk sharing ourselves with others; we must risk embracing what others share with us in return. It’s called connecting. A lot of us fear connecting, and when we’re afraid of those vital links with others, we stunt relationships and silence our voices. We can end up sabotaging who we want and need to be.
I’ve sabotaged myself so many times by letting the fear creep in and take over. What’s putting a chink in the fence of fear these days is this thought: There is no do-over.
Our time on this planet is short. What do we really want to do with it? Who do we really want to be? These questions are not age-specific, reserved for kids—asking ourselves who we are and want to be is a lifelong process. If we stop checking in with ourselves from time to time, we get real stagnant. To be alive, really freakin’ alive, we need movement. We need action. We need to shake up our shit.
I’ve been saying “we” a lot, fully knowing I mean “I.” Which is why Dr. Bernard Lown’s piece in the May 2010 issue of fear.less magazine is giving me the kick in the butt I SO need right now. A cardiologist, Lown invented the defibrillator. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize for founding International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Of everything he said about coping with fear, what most resonated with me was the do-something-about-it advice.
The moment you’re engaged in deliberate action, well-though-out action that is likely to be effective, all fear goes away. But action cannot be chaotic; it has to be focused. (Find the May 2010 issue in the fear.less archives and subscribe to the magazine for free here.)
Here’s the truth: I embrace action and fear effectiveness. Saying this out loud is like hitting pay dirt for me. Cuz now I can’t turn my back on this realization. Oh, no. I’ve got to do something about it.
