You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
I love Eleanor Roosevelt. Did you know that she had a lifelong fear of water after surviving the sinking of an ocean liner when she was a child? Did you know that she learned how to swim when she was in her fifties so that she could finally conquer that fear? She did the thing she thought she could not do. She spent her life doing the things she thought -- that everyone thought -- she could not do. And the world is all the better for it.
I'm facing my fear of math. It won't change the world, but I'm kind of proud of myself. How about you? What must you do that you think you cannot do?
Posts
5 comments:
I love her. I named my last cat after ER. I thought it might give her a sense of security (she showed up at the backdoor of my studio back in 91). It didn't.
I still deal with my fear of heights. I walk on the edge of mountain trails, I climb scaffolding, I look over the edge of bridges (the York Blvd).. I even did a installation art piece under the Suicide bridge based on the only person to have survived her fall from it. I can't rid myself of my fear but have learned to live with it.
I'm a big ER fan too.
I'm in awe of anyone who writes fiction because I've convinced myself that I'm incapable of writing it. One day I'll tackle this, but not in 2009. Too many non-fiction writing projects next year.
I think a lot of these fears are love-hate. For example, I love public speaking, and fear it so much I'd take a bullet in the heart rather than saying that first word. But once the first word, or twenty words, is shakily out of my mouth, I settle in and have the most wonderful time. So maybe it's the introduction to anything we love that is so terrifying. Because we care so much how it turns out.
Oooh.
I must learn to concentrate on one thing at a time. It may not sound scary to you, but it frightens me to let the little things go and do one big thing. Like write a book.
Math? We have nuttin 2 fear butt fear itself - that's what I'd say.
Facing our fears usually brings insight & growth.
Post a Comment