Fear And Locomotives – Audio TidBits Podcast - Audio Tidbits Podcast

Audio Tidbits Podcast

If you let fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe, expedient and thin. Katharine Butler Hathaway

The implication here is that fear of consequence is pretty normal. so having some, or maybe even a lot, isn’t that much of a big deal. The big deal is having a life that is safe, expedient, and thin.

What the problem with this actually is remains hidden. so you are simply expected to intuit it, it seems. The rub is that you have little faith in your abilities and less faith in your basic grasp or understanding of situations or circumstances. Since you don’t believe that you can trust your judgment or instinct, you don’t take a chance on yourself. You likewise don’t have much faith in your ability to anticipate or predict the behavior of other people. Your belief is that you cannot predict if a specific action of yours will lead to good or bad outcomes. Usually, you think the likely outcome of following your judgment will be bad. You don’t trust yourself and feel that any errors or mistakes you might make will likely be just another example of your screwing up. …
Given that reality, a life that is safe, expedient, and thin sounds like a reasonable alternative. There is a potential glitch in going with the safe alternative though. Brooke Foss Westcott described it this way,

Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or we grow weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become.

Fortunately, Eleanor Roosevelt suggested another alternative that you may want to consider.

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.

Sure, conquering fear sounds good in theory. but it’s certainly easier said than done. As you weigh your choices, Glenn Turner’s point deserves your attention,

Worrying is like a rocking chair. it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.

Ruth Gordon also joined the fear fighters,

Courage is like a muscle. it is strengthened by use.

and as you might have expected, the famous Anon. added a tidbit as well,

The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.

Since the Fear vs. Safe debate can’t be resolved here, another thought or two will be enough for now. Haddon Robinson said,

What worries you, masters you.

and Roger Babson said,

If things go wrong, don’t go with them.

There you go. Do what you need to do, when you need to do it. and while you’re at it, adopt the Charlie Brown philosophy for fear management,

I’ve developed a new philosophy … I only dread one day at a time.

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.

William Arthur Ward

This isn’t altogether true but is definitely a popular, self-affirming message for most people, most of the time. One can easily imagine being faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and perhaps even leaping one of those tall buildings in a single bound. but no matter how much you dream, you still aren’t turning into Superman. It’s also true that you may find that you have achieved things you never imagined and have become someone you didn’t think it was possible for you to become, in your wildest dreams. Unfortunately, that can work in both positive and negative directions. The reality is that imagining and dreaming can lead to achievement and becoming, but only within limits. Exploring those limits is instructive.

Imagination and dreaming can assist in avoiding bad outcomes and finding oneself in undesirable circumstances. Think about what you don’t want to happen, where you don’t want to end up. Once you have a clear picture, figure out what you need to do to get that outcome or to end up in those circumstances. Now, make sure you don’t do whatever your imagination and dreaming tell you would be required. Just don’t do it. don’t knowingly screw up. It’s surprising how often people know they shouldn’t do something but do it anyway.

Are you committed to avoiding screwing up, to the extent you can, whenever possible? If so, the next step is to avoid Superman thinking. Is what you want to achieve or who you want to become possible, given your skills, talents, and circumstances? You can improve your skills. but if you frequently miss the ball when you swing, you likely aren’t going to make it as a professional golfer. If you can’t carry a tune, you probably won’t ever be asked to sing a solo at the opera. If you spent a few years in the big house for robbing a bank, a seat on the Supreme Court isn’t in your future. When you do your imagining and dreaming thing, be sure your actually being in the picture one day is at least possible, no matter how unlikely.

You have now pretty well defined the limits of imagination and dreaming. Achieving and becoming are in your sites, although they may yet be hard to see. What to do? Well, you’re in luck. Morgan’s strategy is here for you.

Go as far as you can see. when you get there, you’ll be able to see farther.