(photo courtesy of worth1000.com) There are things in life we don’t like having yet we have them in our being. One of these is FEAR. Fear to try new things, fear to fail, fear of losing someone, fear to speak in front of a crowd, and a lot more fears.
Fear, undesirable as it is, is very real. And I wonder, if it has a face how would it look like? I guess it is a dreadful monster with a face grim and ruthless; otherwise, it will not make a man’s knees tremble and heartbeat wild to blow him out of proportion – suppressing his courage and losing his hope.
One night, I happened to read a quote that says: “The greatest regrets of man are caused by failure to try.” It struck me and sent me to deep contemplation. Evaluating and scrutinizing my life, I asked…
How many times did I waste opportunities?
How many times did I hinder myself to grow?
How many times did I become a coward?
How many times did I create my own ghosts?
And I found out – MANY TIMES.
It reminded me of what Shakespeare said in his Measure for Measure, “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." Then I recalled what Hon. Juan Miguel Zubiri said during his visit here: “In order to succeed, we must have the 3 G’s. Grades, grassroots, and guts.” Guts? – Yes, a vital quality to succeed. If we are enslaved by our doubts and fears, our abilities and potentials will just turn out to be futile.
There are zones within us. According to Sean Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, we have comfort and courage zones. Comfort zones involve the things that are familiar to us. The things that are safe and risk-free. On the other hand, when we tend to do things that are dangerous, risky, unusual, and hard for us to do, we are entering the confines of the courage zone. We cannot avoid pressure, uncertainty, reform, and the possibility of failure within this boundary but it is only here that we can grow and achieve our full potentials unlike in the comfort zone.
So next time you want to:
1. do something different;
2. gain new friends;
3. audition for a play;
4. join a prestigious contest;
5. break a habit;
6. speak before a large audience;
7. pursue your dreamgirl/boy;
forget about your doubts and fears. Don’t mind the whispers “You will never make it” or “You’ll fail” that reverberate within you.
Don’t let fears make decisions, make them. Face your fears!
[I wrote this back in college for our publication. In times when I need considerable courage, I remember this. Today, I take one step toward my courage zone.]
Fear, undesirable as it is, is very real. And I wonder, if it has a face how would it look like? I guess it is a dreadful monster with a face grim and ruthless; otherwise, it will not make a man’s knees tremble and heartbeat wild to blow him out of proportion – suppressing his courage and losing his hope.
One night, I happened to read a quote that says: “The greatest regrets of man are caused by failure to try.” It struck me and sent me to deep contemplation. Evaluating and scrutinizing my life, I asked…
How many times did I waste opportunities?
How many times did I hinder myself to grow?
How many times did I become a coward?
How many times did I create my own ghosts?
And I found out – MANY TIMES.
It reminded me of what Shakespeare said in his Measure for Measure, “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." Then I recalled what Hon. Juan Miguel Zubiri said during his visit here: “In order to succeed, we must have the 3 G’s. Grades, grassroots, and guts.” Guts? – Yes, a vital quality to succeed. If we are enslaved by our doubts and fears, our abilities and potentials will just turn out to be futile.
There are zones within us. According to Sean Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, we have comfort and courage zones. Comfort zones involve the things that are familiar to us. The things that are safe and risk-free. On the other hand, when we tend to do things that are dangerous, risky, unusual, and hard for us to do, we are entering the confines of the courage zone. We cannot avoid pressure, uncertainty, reform, and the possibility of failure within this boundary but it is only here that we can grow and achieve our full potentials unlike in the comfort zone.
So next time you want to:
1. do something different;
2. gain new friends;
3. audition for a play;
4. join a prestigious contest;
5. break a habit;
6. speak before a large audience;
7. pursue your dreamgirl/boy;
forget about your doubts and fears. Don’t mind the whispers “You will never make it” or “You’ll fail” that reverberate within you.
Don’t let fears make decisions, make them. Face your fears!
[I wrote this back in college for our publication. In times when I need considerable courage, I remember this. Today, I take one step toward my courage zone.]
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