"It is all in your imagination."
Perhaps this is true, yet it doesn't stop the physical reaction to the imagination and a child who believes there is a monster under the bed will still manifest fear, sweating palms and a faster heart rate, regardless of the reality. Adults are no different are they?
What do you fear? Death, or loss of life? We protect what we know and avoid what we do not as in uncertainty there are no guarantees. And while the future is uncertain and every decision sets off a chain reaction of unintended consequences, does this mean we should stay the same, live in fear of what we believe is there hiding in the darkness?
Every company I train at is going through some form of change and no matter what the goals are or what the changes are, people fear losing what they currently have, even if they are in a position of random privilege. At one company where the office layout is changing to become a nicer place to work, one person is throwing a tantrum because they will likely lose their window seat that they never chose, it was assigned. That seat is not theirs.
Loss is something we all fear. I fear losing my daughter, should I lock her in a cage to keep her safe, or should I do my best to prepare her for the world? A world that is not rainbows and sparkles, filled with people that didn't get enough hugs as children, and worse. Should I shelter her from my fears so she cannot live a life of her own? Should I fill her with fear of the world so she chooses not to live?
I think what often happens is that when faced with uncertainty, when faced with what we do not understand, what we believe is going to cost us, we project our fears of loss onto others as if all hold the same concerns in the hope that we can drum up the support to protect our position. We try to keep our window seat at the cost of others.
We are all self-centered and therefore focus on what affects us, but the monsters I imagine under the bed are not the monsters you imagine and while I might sit and cower under the covers, you may choose to face your fears, look the beast in the eye. Or, vice versa. I wonder how many people have faced their fears and regretted the experience - and how many have chosen not to and regretted the experience. Change can bring unforeseen problems. It can also bring unforeseen solutions.
I am not risk-taking. I am not brave. I am not fearless.
But under the right conditions...
What conditions do you need to be the best version of yourself?
Is it cowering under the covers in fear of the monsters under the bed?
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
