Perseverance
“You
can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
Rabindranath
Tagore
Have you ever gotten into
a rut? For instance, whenever you are asked to do something that is
unusual for you—to step out of your comfort zone—is your
automatic first response “no”? Most of us do not like to feel
insecure about our abilities or our knowledge. We fear looking like a
fool more than almost anything, so accepting responsibility for a
task in which that is even a remote possibility is anathema. Our (my)
automatic response is “no way.”
I could make a long list
of things that fall into the “no way” category for me, but I'll
spare you. It's enough to say, with Tagore, that if you want to cross
the sea, you have to get off the sand. Wanting and imagining are not
enough. Some of us think the world will beat a path to our door if we
just wait long enough—we don't want to even stick a toe in the
water for fear of failing. But, unless you happen to possess hypnotic
beauty or super-strong animal magnetism, that's highly unlikely. It
takes more than hope to make it happen.
I wrote earlier this week
about anxiety being a fact of human life. From birth, we are subject
to its clutches. No matter how superior we may be, no matter how
confident and well prepared, anxiety is our traveling companion here on
planet Earth. So, it's not a matter of squelching anxiety that will
allow you to move forward—it's a matter of acting in spite of it.
Just say “yes” instead of “no” and then get busy. You may
screw up—I usually do—but if you persist and allow yourself a few
screw-ups, you will eventually succeed. Others may laugh or make fun
of you, and you will grow a thicker skin and keep going. Assume that
if others need to criticize you, it is their anxiety speaking. You
can allow them that since you have it too.
Learning to say “yes”
instead of “no” is the first step toward conquering the paralysis
of fear. With perseverance and just a dab of courage, we can
accomplish many things we had no idea we could do. Even a small boat
can cross the sea.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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