Have you denied yourself opportunities due to fear? Have you felt like the world will surely end if you have to do that one thing you’re afraid of? We all have. Fear is part of the human condition – is part of stress, its part of survival, its part of protection and its part of our very human limitations.
Last night I asked my wife to give me a topic to blog about so she could get to know me just a tiny bit better and she asked me “What are your biggest fears?" It can be a tough topic to broach. Our fear reveal our biggest weaknesses and we are adverse to share those things for (what else?!?) fear that people will use them against us.
One thing that I fear more than anything is not having an answer. I have an irrational need to know stuff. From anthropology to the latest zeitgeist I always want to know more than I already do. While this has been a blessing at times, it can be a burden. I’m in a constant struggle to know more. This thirst for more information can affect my confidence. It feels like as soon as I tackle one field, the door opens to the next unknown. The search is continuous and all encompassing.
For many years I searched for the emotional knowledge on how to be a better friend/boyfriend/husband and thankfully found answers with my wife (The answers lie in whom you choose!) I spent years trying to learn everything I could about New York City (after all if being a native New Yorker is my defining trait, how could not need to know everything) for the last few years I’ve been tackling new media/web 2.0/social media. The quest never ends and sometimes I can’t sleep thinking about what I don’t know.
The fear is that someone will discover that I don’t have the answer to their question. I have a fear that somehow I’m less intelligent because I don’t know about the latest trend. I know it’s irrational but it leads me to great discoveries and new portals of knowledge.
What are your fears that motivate you? Have you been able to translate fear into something productive?
Posted via email from Laurent Courtines Free Online | Comment »
