Fear is a Liar

I’m not sure where I read it, but I remember it clearly, do one thing a day that scares you. And I’ve used that mantra for a while now. When I was climbing a hill in Montana, one spring morning, I suddenly found it was all ice and way steeper than it looked from below. But I made it. I repeated that mantra the whole way up.

Last week, when I took my all new, inflatable paddle board onto the ocean alone, I was sort of terrified. But I kept remembering that mantra, plus I thought, if I die today, at least it was fun. While I was out there and I saw something with fins that scared me, and then I remembered how afraid I was the first time (every new job actually) I went live on the air to report news. Pre-recording is so much easier, right? If you make a mistake, you can fix it. But when you’re live, you have to think on your feet. Plus, there’s all those buttons to push!

The first time I went on the radio, was a cable radio station, and I was hooked. I wish I could remember the guy I was co-hosting with. It was such a blast. I remembering smiling behind the mic.

The first, and only, time I ran a marathon, it poured, torrential rain. It was the first time in the history of the Los Angeles Marathon, actually, that it rained. But everything I did after that, was measured against that experience. If I ran a marathon I could do anything. If I am afraid of heights, I should zipline, I can do anything! If I pre-record my news but if I have enough support to do it live, I can do it. Fear is a liar. It’s something you tell yourself to get out of something. Maybe there’s someone who can push you and you can do it. You can do anything you set out to.

You can look fear in the face and accomplish whatever you think you cannot. I promise you. When you pick it apart, what is it that’s scaring you anyway?

When I got off my board last week, I started chatting with an older gentleman on the beach. He asked how it was and told me his son has one and loves it, etc. So I spilled it. I’m not afraid to admit, I was afraid. The ocean freaks me out. It’s so vast (plus hurricanes ;)) The gentleman told me the fish I saw circling me were called “Bunkers”, and if I dipped a toe in, they’d scramble. I was immediately put to ease. So I set out again the next day. So fear is a liar. And support is helpful. I wonder if my face showed fear? Oh well…