What is it that makes us hold back from doing the things we most want to do? From taking the plunge into the ocean blue?It might be as simple as this guy's reluctance to de-brief on the nude beach, to leaving or initiating a relationship, to starting up a business... What are the things that stop us from taking these big steps? We are constantly fearing failure, fearing the unknown, the possibilities that might not work because something went wrong - or the embarassment that might result if it doesn't go quite to plan. A lot of people I know lack the confidence to make the first step - but in reality they have more than enough reason to be confident in themselves and in their plans and ideas.
Sometimes reality can be harsh and one or two set backs will undoubtedly make one more prone to longer contemplation in future. But I think I'd rather see people who tried and failed (or quite likely succeeded) than those who didn't try at all. Sometimes you need to go out on a limb and see what happens. Sometimes when it all seems too daunting, and the setbacks seem harder to take than the benefits of persevering, we need to 'phone a friend' or use that 'lifeline', but too often we are scared to do even that.
The guy in the shorts did eventually take the plunge.
Perhaps we should all do one thing each day that scares us...
It will at least make for some great stories.
6 comments:
which beach is that? And how long did you have to watch him before he disrobed?
It was at Werrong - and I think he'd been there an hour or two before I saw him getting his gear off. (which was when I was leaving). I'd spent hours in the water - it was so perfect - body surfing and chasing fish in the crystal clear water. Heaven. I guess it wasn't something that scared me - but I'll happily do it again.
Something for everyone.
I read this post and not once did I think about the guy getting his gear off. I thought about the options in my life right now - the fear of failure weighed up against the thrill of success and the energy and resources it would take to ensure that I had a success and not a failure. I was also thinking which lifeline do I have left to use???
So a very well written post, Trevor - two very different people got two completely different things out of it!
Freddy
Yeah good post trev...i think for me, sometimes other people's expectations hold me back, or slow me down, anyway. I think almost every big decision i've made there have been people i care about trying to talk me out of it, for one reason or another. I'd say that ultimately that's never stopped me from doing anything, but it has planted seeds of doubt...the up side to that is youre not often caught by surprise if things do indeed go wrong!
Could not agree with you more. Lets just hope i can muster the courage to take your advice !
Hey Trev
Hmmm...I think this is from Nelson Mandella:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?...and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Another philosphical view categorizes all our hopes and fears into 8 categories (or 4 pairs of opposites)...in pretty much everything we do we tend to find oursaelves wandering back and forward between these from moment to moment:
-Hope for praise and fear of criticism
-Hope for fame and fear of insignificance
-Hope for gain and fear of loss
-Hope for pleasure and fear of pain.
My two cents worth...
Geoff
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