Imagine What You Could Do If You Had No Fear

We all have seen the child who seamlessly has no fear. They are the ones who dive right into the pool without knowing how to swim. These individuals are born with a dulled sense of fear and forethought. I would suggest, however, that it is not that they have a diminished sense of forethought, but rather that they have come to realize that the risk of trying something pales in comparison to the reward of accomplishing it.

That is a lesson we could all benefit from. We must all try to see the reward as being greater than the risk.

I am not suggesting that you go sky diving or you jump into a pool if you don’t know how to swim. But metaphorically, it is okay once in a while to “jump” into something without knowing how to do it. If you never learn to try things that you don’t know how to do, you can go through life missing out on a lot of significant opportunities.

It is important when faced with any challenge to first consider what is the reward if I succeed. Too many times we are overcome by the consideration of what can happen if we fail. It is more important to look at it as what is the worst that can possibly happen?

When you stop to consider what the worst possible thing that can happen is, you may find that the “worst” thing is not that bad at all. The fear that drives us, in most cases, is the fear of the unknown. If, however, you are able to play out the scenario to the fullest, to fully consider what the outcomes at their worst can be, then you may see that the worst is minimal, and not worth keeping you from the experience.

We are all a product of our experiences, but we are also a product of fear. We are taught very early on for survival reasons the notion of fear. The problem comes when we ascribe danger to things that are not truly “dangerous.” If something will not cause you physical harm, then it may be something worth jumping off into. If it can’t hurt you physically than don’t let it hurt you mentally.

Go ahead and ask for more money or more responsibility, truly what is the worst that can happen? The old saying “everything happens for a reason” has its start in reality. When we make deacons it forces us to change and change is good. Forcing ourselves into change can be very good.