Fear. Yes, FEAR!!! Fear is the one word that we all have in common. Fear keeps us from accomplishing our goals. Fear keeps us from fighting the effects of the status quo. Fear causes us to hesitate. Fear causes us not to take action. Fear causes us to see the worst in a situation and doubt our human capacity before we even take a risk. Fear makes us see the version of ourselves that is not our best. Fear makes us think what will my family, friends, and people that do not even know me think of my decision. Truly, it is not the actual thought of FEAR that stifles humans; it is what the fear is connected to that chains our leadership and allows the status quo to disenfranchise our world when we decide not to take action.
(Tweets to Q2 Created the Themes for this Blog)
Fear Of Capacity
When we begin our journey down a new path various questions enter our mind which include but are not limited too:
Am I good enough?
Will I succeed?
What happens if I fail?
How do I compare?
Will I be alone?
What other factors (race, gender, creed, etc.) will allow people to judge and/or stereotype me?
Honestly, many of the same fears tried to manifest inside of me as the #PLN365 chat was approaching. Focusing on my fears had the potential to dilute the learning process of the journey. Understanding my purpose and the support of members of my #PLN reinforced that the only true barrier that can ever stop me, is me. More importantly, you never know who you may encourage and inspire to take their #FirstStep by walking in your purpose as you travel through the forest of fear. Your journey is not just about you. Your journey is about your service and ability to impact the lives of those around you. Too often, we feel that we do not have a voice that others will listen to when the reality is others are eager to learn and grow from our unique perspectives and experiences.
Fear of Failure:
Patrick Newsome (@pn6609) shared a great point in regards to failure. When we fail at something, we do not feel good on the inside. We are concerned with how we are viewed, and let's be honest, we do not want to disappoint ourselves. If we are truly going to live the mantra of life-long learners, we must come to embrace dissonance and the correlation between learning and failure. I tell my students all of the time that if they knew how to do everything, there would be no reason for me to be here. We may not have enjoyed the process of failure but what we learned helped us become who we are today.
Fear of Perception:
Kristin Jenkins (@PreK33) discussed the fear of perception that exists deep within our minds. We are often more concerned with how others are going to perceive us, and that halts our ability to act. This has happened to me on several occasions, and I hope to limit this in the future. The question that I posed to Kristin is, what if everyone was waiting for your leadership? When new teachers join our staff, I make it a point to tell them I do not want them to try to figure out the culture and acclimate to it. I want them to be engaged and let their talents show immediately. You are here to enhance our culture not adapt to it.
Fear of Misunderstanding
Have you ever had a vision that was often misunderstood? This happens more often then what most people are willing to admit. The pain of misunderstanding has the ability to stop us on our journey. The pain comes from the criticism taking the form of personal attacks on the journey. The backlash that comes without having all of the facts has always been difficult for me. Too often we do not seek to understand and react without all of the facts. The reality is every leadership action will require you to overcome this fear as there will always be a percentage of the populace that will not agree with your vision. The good news is that it is YOUR VISION and you are obligated to see it through and to have great friends will empower you to, "GO FOR IT!"
Fear of Success
Jeffrey Lahey (@MrJeffLahey) spoke to the fear of success. People may begin to look at you differently, depend on you, and expect more from you. More importantly, you begin to expect more from yourself. When you experience success, it does add to your plate as expectations are enhanced. The question becomes how do we create balance and what are we willing to let go of as we continue to evolve?
Fear of the First Step
The most powerful moments that were brought to life for me after the chat came in the form of the first steps of others that I had the opportunity to be part of. Laura Busch (@llbusch) (My First Step) and Jessica Stephens (@DrJStephens) (Love Works- Every Single Time) gave me the privilege of sharing their first blogs with me. It was an honor to read their stories. Jess' blog resonated with me when she stated, "This work is about the human condition, thus human connection." The passion in their writing helped ignite the fire to create and share this blog. I look forward to reading more of their work and the work of others in my #PLN. We have a unique opportunity to share our stories and empower each other with rich discourse, critical thinking, and feedback. Who else is better equipped to share your story than you?
The Good News
Failure is not permanent, and fear is often a hallucination of your mind. Conquering your fear gives you the power to be limitless. The first step to conquering your fear is to acknowledge that you have them.
When you acknowledge that you have fears, you can begin to strategically learn how to overcome the barriers that are in your way. When was the last time you learned something new? Were you an expert the moment you began? According to the research, it takes 10,000 hours of intentional practice to become an expert or a master of your craft. That is approximately 417 days, and unless you are a prodigy, you will experience failure. Jay explained that when we burst through a barrier, the joy of moving forward is invigorating. Think about the last time you overcame an obstacle. How did you feel afterward? Was it worth the endeavor? I guarantee you it was, and more importantly it prepared you for the next obstacle that you would face. The problem with the journey is not the destination it is the challenges that are present along the way. This would be a problem if you live in an isolated world, but I have news for you:
YOU ARE
NOT
ALONE
ON THIS
JOURNEY!!!
This is why my #PLN is My Justice League. If you do not have a #PLN, you can join mine. I can not think of a single reason why anyone should be restricted to the artificial barriers that create isolation, foster division, and devalues diversity. I am not encouraging anyone to choose FEAR for their one word. However, I hope that your one word will help you Face Everything And Rise.
As always, thank you for reading this post. You can read more about the ability to Face Everything And Rise here: Green Lantern Corps: WillPower.
Love this, Dennis! So real, so authentic, so human! I am fortunate to know you and your inspirational spirit!
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