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

I Already Know That!

Knowing is Not Enough.  It’s the Doing That Matters.

How many times have you been in a class, a seminar, or a training session and heard someone scornfully say, “I already know that!”  Or, even worse, how many times have you read, listened to an audiobook, or been told something by a mentor and internally said the same thing?

Unfortunately, if you are like most people, you were responding to the wrong internal question: “Did I know this already?”  When you should have been asking yourself, “How well or often do I do that?”  You may know something very well - and know you would be better off if you did it - and then never do it. 

So, when I post something in this BLOG - and many times it will be something simple and well known - don’t ask yourself if you already knew it, but instead, ask if when the opportunity arises - “Do I actually do it?”

Enthusiastically scribbled by, 

Jason Riemens

Rocky Balboa Knows Best

.....just posted by a friend on Facebook and I thought very beftting......I could not agree more 

Enthusiastically scribbled by, 

Jason Riemens

Say it Aloud - and Don’t You Dare Use Future Tense

TELL YOURSELF AND TELL YOURSELF OFTEN

Write it, Say it, Display it

I am a big believer in physically writing down your goals and putting them on your bedroom mirror or somewhere even more prone to be seen (like on Facebook), waking up and saying self-affirmations aloud, and telling anyone who will listen what you plan to do, become, or accomplish.  There is a significant stimulus seeing it in writing (especially in your own handwriting), hearing it in your own voice, and knowing others already have expectations from you in their minds. 

Take the Future out of Self-Affirmations

Specifically in regards to self-affirmations, the one thing that I think people, who actually do this, do that is counterproductive is to use future tense.  “Today will be a great day.”  “I will be successful.”  “Someday, I will have a great memory.”  While that is a fantastic start, and I applaud you for taking that first step, a much more beneficial method is to state it to yourself as a current fact.  When is “will be” going to happen and “someday” may never occur.

“Today is a great day!”  “I am successful!”  “I have a great memory!”  Even if you have not convinced yourself yet, fake it until you make it, as I like to say.

Maximus of this Postimus

The maxim of this post is, you are likely already better at what you want to be than you think, at least in brief glimpses.  Why not tell yourself - and tell yourself often?  The last person you want to let down is you.  And these glimpses of the best you will become the you of everyday.

You are an optimistic person and you have a positive attitude.  I am certain of this.

Enthusiastically scribbled by, 

Jason Riemens