Fear is... well scary. I know, right now you're going "Holy shit, this guy just blew my mind!"... and rightly so.
People, however, seem to use fear as a crutch far too often. I'm not talking about a fear of elevators or other deep psychological fears. I'm talking about your fears you encounter in daily life.
Such as being afraid to talk to a patient or to stand up for yourself when situations warrant it. You know what I say to that?
Fuck fear.
I have a bit of a fear of heights. My heart starts pumping, palms become sweaty and all that jazz. Yet I get a thrill out of feeling like that and will purposefully go some place high to experience it. Am I weird? You're damn right I'm weird, but there is a certain rush you get from facing your fears.
It's something I wish people did more often. It was very typical at work to have my co-tech freeze up when I told them they needed to go get more information from a patient or to explain an insurance problem.
Once I even had a particular girl tell me flat out she was frightened to do so.
Tough. You can't use fear as a crutch to prevent you from doing certain things. Alas, too many people I know do so on a regular basis.
How else are you supposed to evolve as a person if you don't step outside of your comfort zone every once in a while? I make a point to do so on a regular basis, almost to prove that I am still alive as silly as that sounds.
So often people draw this little box around them and say, "There, this is who I am and I will never have to leave it!" What they don't realize is that if we're going to draw ourselves within a box, you better damn well be ready when that box begins to distort an change shape.
I have grown weary of people being afraid to do things they have to, or should, do. It's ok to be afraid, in fact it's healthy in most circumstances. But for once, overcome that fear and do it. You'll be amazed at how you'll feel.
And I should know, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
2 comments:
Agreed.
There are certain things about my job that terrified me the first time I did them - entering meds for NICU patients, for example. I did it anyway, because if I didn't do it, it didn't get done, and if it didn't get done, the baby wouldn't get better.
How's job hunting going for you? Seems like every place I look is hiring techs and interns but not RPhs...
Getting out of your comfort zone can be very liberating. I had an experience last year that tested my limits but I'm thankful now that I did what I did. In 2009 I had a New Year's Resolution to face a fear. Not just any fear but something that really bothered me or gave me concern. I chose to learn how to shoot a gun. I had shot a shotgun before when I was younger but never a handgun. I took a couple of classes, became certified to own a concealed weapon, and now I am even a gun owner! It was one of those things that really scared me. Guns were unfamiliar and intimidating to me. But after I took my beginner one on one instructional class I felt like I had faced a fear I never thought I could face. It helped that my instructor was really good and I was serious about learning how to handle a firearm correctly and safely but still I never thought I could do what I did last summer! Next I ended up taking the concealed carry class including range time required in my state to apply for the concealed carry license. I now have a license to conceal carry a handgun in my state. And even though I don't carry and I rarely shoot my personal firearm now the fact that I was able to do what I did and face my fear is very satisfying for me. I still don't really consider myself a "gun person" but I've been taught the proper way to handle and use a firearm and I know enough to use one safely and they don't scare me like they used to. It also turned out to be really fun to shoot at a range. I think I will take another gun class or two in the near future to reinforce proper technique and safety and just to have fun. I think skydiving would be another good one on my list of fears. I'm not sure when/if I will be able to tackle that fear though! It is one thing to hold a gun and pull the trigger. It is entirely another thing to be able jump out of a perfectly good plane!
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