What would you do if you weren't afraid?
Do you remember back to when you pinned a towel to your shoulders and played the superhero character that you just knew you would grow up to become? When you were more excited to hold a spider then scared of it? What changes that youthful excitement and optimism. And the answer is one word: “fear.” At some point we became afraid, and we let that fear stop us.
Our today's excerpt from the book How to be Happy Dammit also depicts how fear is constantly intefering with us getting what we want in life.
There once was this criminal who had committed a crime.
(Because, hey, that’s what criminals do. That’s their job!)
Anyway, he was sent to the king for his punishment.
The king told him he had a choice of two punishments.
He could be hung by a rope.
Or take what’s behind the big, dark, scary, iron door.
The criminal quickly decided on the rope.
As the noose was being slipped on him, he turned to the king and asked:
“By the way, out of curiosity, what’s behind that door?”
The king laughed and said:
“You know, it’s funny, I offer everyone the same choice, and nearly everyone picks the rope.”
“So,” said the criminal, “Tell me. What’s behind the door? I mean, obviously, I won’t tell anyone,” he said, pointing to the noose around his neck.
The king paused then answered:
“Freedom, but it seems most people are so afraid of the unknown that they immediately take the rope.”
Yes, isn't it our story of everyday life. Actually, the only thing that we have to fear is fear itself. So please devote some time today introspecting a very simple yet bold question:
What would you do if you weren't afraid?