“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.” ~ Fulton Oursler
I find it so interesting that so often I hear people say they are ‘afraid’ to do something because they fear they might fail. Really? Because isn’t letting fear stop you just the express lane checkout line to failure?
So here is the thing, fear of not moving forward and striving for something better is nothing more than an excuse. It is time we embrace that as a fact, pure and simple. For example, Philippe Petit a Frenchman, walked between the twin towers in NYC. Not on the ground, but he did it on a tightrope.
So let’s review all the fear factors that Petit could have legitimately put in play. It was illegal. It had never been done. There was no safety net. Not one thing could go wrong with anyone involved in the plan. And, it could end in death. Petit had six years of planning. That is six years of time that he could have come up with excuses not to pursue his goal. He forged on because the idea of not achieving his goal was not an option.
So ask yourself, is your reality goal oriented or excuse oriented? What amazing opportunities have you missed, or are you missing, or will you miss because you use fear as an excuse?
The following is a clip of Petit’s walk, http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4773833n&tag=related;photovideo
If your risk isn’t as big as his, and maybe even if it is…well, what are you waiting for?
One Comment
Great post. This is true for both the big events in our life (like the tightrope walk) and the micro moments of a day (like opting out of saying what we need to say or making that sales call to the big whale). It’s worth using the micro moments of our life as practice in fearlessness. Because they happen daily, the repetitiveness builds thought habits around how we think and respond to moments outside our comfort zone. Whatever habits we build we will use in the big moments that define our lives.