Fear Is The Mind Killer

Fear.

In the words of a sci-fi film, "Fear is the mind killer. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself!"

Anyone remember the film? It was "Dune".

It has often been said the fear we feel when attempting something new, is the fear of failure, of rejection, or of appearing foolish. It might not be a life-threatening fear, but it has been with us for as long as we can remember.

As children, (in my generation anyway), if you made a mistake in primary school, you stood a good chance of a ruler across the knuckles for ‘not listening'. We were taught from an early age – don't take the risk, everyone will laugh at you, in fact the fear of failure became so bad at times, (because of the resultant whack over the knuckles), that I was so scared of the ‘result', I couldn't get the words out, even though I knew the answer.

You know I read a book once, a great book called, "Think and Grow Rich." A great book full of great advice, but you know what I have found any time I have been faced with a challenge where I might be made to look foolish. I've found the opposite to be true, don't think, do!"

The more you think about it, the more excuses you can think up, not to do it. It's not quite the right time, everything's not quite in place. You might fail.

I have come to the conclusion that success in anything doesn't come about by thinking about it, (the ‘Paralysis Analysis' approach), but getting out there and getting something started. More often than not you find that ‘Fear' is nothing more than what people have been telling you all along – ‘False Evidence Appearing Real'.

I think it was Socrates who said that ‘Action equals knowledge', so this is not a radical new concept, but in fact a secret of hundreds of years old.

I might think I could write an article, but before I get thinking of too many excuses to fail, I find that if I stick my neck out and jump in, the article gets written. Perhaps not well enough for a Pulitzer Prize, but it gets done!

Do you think my grammar and spelling are perfect? I use the spell checker my friend.

I'm a private pilot. You realise of course that at some point, the trainee student has to take the aircraft up on their own? Go ‘Solo'. I guarantee there are not many situations you will find yourself in that are as frightening.

So how did I get to be a pilot? I overcame my fear of flying alone, by doing it alone the minute the instructor stepped out and said, "You're ready, away you go!" If I'd thought about it, I guarantee you I wouldn't be a pilot today. I flew that aircraft shaking like a leaf, saying to myself, "Now you've done it, you fool! You have to get down again!" If I had thought about it for any length of time, I think I might honestly say that today, I might still be thinking about it.

I guess my point in writing this article is to encourage you not to think just do.

If you shoot for the stars, you might just hit the moon.