I get e-mail forwards from my guys, all interesting, some more than others. Steve White in New Hampshire, finds some good ones and sends them on. If you have not met Steve, you need to. I've known him for 20 years and been working on him and with him as student and friend.
Steve sent this one on fear to me recently.
Facing the Enemies Within by Jim Rohn
We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won't need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives.
Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us. Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within.
The first enemy that you've got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along." Here's one problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the top of the mountain.
The second enemy we face is indecision.
Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.
The third enemy inside is doubt.
Sure, there's room for healthy skepticism. You can't believe everything. But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.
The fourth enemy within is worry.
We've all got to worry some. Just don't let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you've got to worry.
But you can't let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here's what you've got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you've got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you've got to push back.
The fifth interior enemy is over-caution.
It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it's an illness. If you let it go, it'll conquer you. Timid people don't get promoted. They don't advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You've got to avoid over-caution. Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.
Now Mr. Rohn here has some good points. He may not have a solid grounding in psychology or have correctly pigeon-holed these points as fear per definition but I think what he wrote bears some thinking about. What comes to mind is that he pointed out some conditions that exist that need to be combated. What he does not do here is tell us what he thinks will be useful in combating these conditions. It's like someone telling you to fight when you don't know how. He implies the solutions, which is why I think if you sit and think about what he said you can figure some of the solutions out yourself. Some of it is basic logic, using Ed Parker's opposite and reverse idea. Indifference? Get involved. Indecision? Get advice or flip a coin. Timid? Get some balls.
I believe what he says is good stuff. It may contain the motivation someone needs to change their life, which is why I think I needed to post it here. I have experienced these things, as I'm sure most of you have. Solutions are everywhere, outside and inside. Read, ask advice, get help.
Look inside yourself, take a chance, get out of your comfort zone. I was talking to a CAP chaplain a few years ago when my nephews were deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. I was concerned. He said, "If you're worrying, you're not praying. If you're praying, you're not worrying." A belief system is paramount to your survival. Believe in yourself, your God, your family, your karate system, whatever it takes. Ed Parker said "Never doubt your system."
I've been scared. From my conversations with people it sounds like I may have had more than my share. Regardless, sometimes those situations are uncontrollable. Sometimes we make them ourselves. I believe in calculated risk. I've purposely but myself in bad situations to see what it took to get out. We do that daily when we practice our self-defense techniques. It's a matter of scale. By doing so we increase confidence and reduce insecurity, timidity, whatever you want to call it. But it must be done intelligently. I found myself running into a burning building many years ago, thinking someone was inside. That was dumb, it was risky, and I was untrained for that situation. Firefighters run into burning buildings. They are trained and they have calculated the risk. Much of fear is of the unknown. Knowledge is power. It may be just what you need to handle the enemies he listed.
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