What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?

The First Step is Admitting You're Afraid

From my rough life in the hard streets - OK...just from living my life, my professional career, my formal schooling, and my reading - as well as from my majestic successes and mammoth failures, I have developed three main questions I ask when facing a situation, opportunity, dilemma, problem, or pragmatically any choice.  This post details the first.

The First Question...

The first question and the one that I think precludes the most people from action - while ironically the least admitted during an external dialogue (while quite prevalent in one’s internal monologue) is, “What would I do if I was not afraid?”

Come On....Admit it Already!

Admitting the feeling of fear or of being afraid - especially when not arising from a large group of voracious beasts or an ill-intended biker gang - seems to be something people are - afraid - to do.

So, when an opportunity arises - which to those with a positive attitude and optimism is with every decision - I recommend that you ask yourself what you would do if you were not afraid. 

Afraid-of-What-a-Phobia

Afraid of what?  Rejection.  Failure. Judgment.  Shame. Loss.  Misunderstanding.  Criticism.  (...insert yours here...)  These are the first that come to my mind, as well as just plain old uncertainty - by which I mean, knowing more outcomes could happen than will.

Example: I started this BLOG by asking myself this question and actually ask it for every post.  I admit that there is a certain level of fear that: First - no one will ever read what I am writing, and Second - that what I write may be judged, not appreciated, or misunderstood. 

But then I tell myself that I have been extremely successful at everything I put all of my effort in to, but will still let my unconscious fears rule the day.  Hence, I must make them part of my conscious thinking and ask this magical question. 

I then am often surprised at what I would do......if I wasn't afraid.

Enthusiastically scribbled by, 

Jason Riemens