filed in Daily Life
How To Push Beyond Our Fears
Last week, I phone banked for the California proposition Yes on Prop 30 even though I loathe phone banking. And next week, I’ll be canvassing door to door which I’m even more scared of. I’m so moved by the mission, that it has inspired me to nudge aside my fears.
What about you? Is there something you’ve been afraid of that you’ve done anyway? And if so, what helped?
Comic by Grant Snider
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8 comments for “How To Push Beyond Our Fears”
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I laughed outloud at the “taking the wrong bus” panel!! What IS it about strange busses that is *so* terrifying? In such situations, I try to embrace the adventure. As cliche as it sounds, I find it really does help.
I could actually relate to a bunch of these.
Good luck with your canvassing, Wendy. Hopefully your passion and sincerity will override the fear.
Thanks, Kathy. I appreciate your encouraging thoughts.
This amused me no end. I once had the Rohrschach (sp?) testing done on me when I was a teenager by a qualified psychologist and the outcome of my personality that has stuck with me, because it is very true, is that I will often do things even though they frighten me. It was true then and it’s true now. I’m very much a risk taker and will often do things I’m not quite fond of twice just to make sure I really didn’t like it the first time around. That’s how I found out how much I love sailing. I hated it the first time I tried it but the second time it all came together.
Michele, that is a fantastic trait to have. I’m sure you get to have so many more wonderful experiences because of it.
Run a half-marathon. I never ran when I was younger because I could do no more than a short sprint. Back then I was morbidly obese and terribly out of shape (this was decades ago). Started walking for exercise in my 30s, then added some running a decade later. Ran quite a few 5Ks. Then when I moved to take my present job, I ran for five whole miles one day. So I signed up for a half-marathon (over 13 miles) that afternoon. And was filled with fear after I submitted my credit card number. Thankfully, I had quite a few months to train myself and work up to that kind of distance. Slow as I was, I ran the whole thing and was beaming for days! I could not take my eye off my medal! Oddly, the previous week I spent the most money I ever had up to that time (I’d just bought a house with the then unheard-of down payment of 20%, something which has come back into vogue), but the half marathon scared me more.
Great story, Petra. Sometimes, we just have to sign up for what we’re afraid of, and deal with our fears later. Well done!