Being Scared To Death
Fear will kill you. It's been proven. It will paralyze you, stop you from leaving your comfort zone, and keep you in the world of mediocrity if you ever let it get a hold of you.
Fear can take many forms. People fear quitting their job to pursue what they love. They fear what people will think of them. They fear putting their story down on paper for others to read it.
Many of the great horror writers, such as Stephen King, will get you to fall in love with a character in his book, then put that character in unsettling situations. What scares people isn't necessarily what we see. It comes down to how we think.
H.P. Lovecraft once said "“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”.
I personally believe that entrepreneurship is not made for everybody. It can be scary at times, unstable, and unsettling. Many people can't handle it. Being in control of your life means your success or failure is on you. Fear of failing holds most people back in life.
I don't fear failing. I fear regret. If I go through life without going after what I truly want, then I will regret it. I can't have that. If you are like me, entrepreneurship is for you.
Your mind is much more powerful than you imagine. What you think about (good or bad) will grow in your life. You become what you think, read, and believe.
A friend of mine, John Schalcosky (an historian in Pittsburgh, PA), sent me an article about a young girl who lived in Millvale, PA in 1914. In a house not too far from where I live now, she became semi-famous for her fear in the early 1900s.
At 6 years old, she was told by another woman to not walk down the hallway of her house because "the Boogeyman will get her". This one statement would change her life forever.
Her fear of the Boogeyman was so strong that it caused her to self-develop an illness. She became very sick. She would tremble. She couldn't sleep. No matter what the family did, she couldn't stop thinking about the boogeyman. Eventually, her fear would terrorize her so much that she went blind. Letters from across the nation would pour in to wish her well on her recovery. Unfortunately, the fear of the boogeyman could never subside. Being in the dark, her mind began to play tricks on her. She died before she turned 7 years old. On her death certificate, it actually says "Scared to Death".
I believe this happens to people every day. Maybe the fear of the unknown doesn't stop people from breathing, but it will kill their dreams and any chance of going after what they want in life.
I am fortunate to meet entrepreneurs and authors everyday. Even some of the most courageous people I meet are afraid to put their story down on paper. It's as if someone told them that their story is not good enough. In reality, it's the fear of the unknown creeping into their mind.
You have an average of 85 years on this planet to make all your dreams come true. What are you waiting for?
The boogeyman might be out there. In fact, there are lots of boogeymen. They will all try to stop you from seeing all that life has to offer. You just can't let them win.
You are an entrepreneur, a writer, and a fighter. It's time to suit up like Chuck Norris, crank your favorite AC/DC song (Who Made Who), and do what you're born to do - write your own story.
Nothing can stop you, except you. Use the fear as a competitive advantage.
Is it Halloween yet?
Write on,
Mike Fallat
