Notice what you fear
There’s a saying about comedians, something about how they become funny people because they’re afraid of others laughing at them, so they spend their lives controlling when and where those laughs happen.
There’s underlying fears we’re really afraid of. These fears aren’t easy to talk about, they’re actually scary. They’re raw fears, like the fear of a lost 4 year old who really believes he’ll never see mom again.
My fears are like rudders – they point me this way or that way in life under the surface of my consciousness. They’re what makes option X “impossible” or what keeps option Y from ever crossing my mind.
For that reason, we’d do well to explore our fears.
They really are raw beasts, these fears. They really are dangerous and strong and hard to find. They’ll beat you in a fight.
So, where do you want to control the laughter? Notice what you fear.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I think, I’m not sure, but i think these are some of my rudders:
- They won’t like me
- I’m not valuable
- I’m ignorant, a fool for not knowing
- I’ll never get better
These are different than the “i’m afraid I won’t be able to support my family” fears. These are the scary ones I think.
