No Fear
by Bob Martin
What is the one great action in life you would take if you knew there would be no possible chance that you could fail? What is the one thing that would bring you the most joy, the most adventure? What would be the ultimate, defining moment of your life? If it's too difficult to come up with one event, take a blank sheet of paper and brainstorm for two minutes. Create a list of the many outlandish things you would do. Now, narrow that list down to the one or two greatest actions you would take if you knew you could not fail.
The Flow State
How would you feel while taking that action? Knowing that you couldn't fail, would you feel unstoppable? Larger than life? your concentration be focused on yourself , or on what's happening around you? How would it feel to be in what could be called a state of "flow?" A flow state is often described as being so in tune with an experience you become aware of all that happens around you. Efforts become effortless, time becomes timeless and everything seems to be pre-determined to succeed.
Wow, nice experience, huh? Did your physical
state, or mood, change while reading and experiencing this? My belief is that most of us
have experienced a flow state at some time in life, but I don't believe that many people
think about relating that experience to a future event.
You Cannot Fail
The reality is that in nearly anything you
attempt, you simply cannot fail. Sure, you may give up before you succeed, is that really
failure? I really don't think that actions are so time-sensitive that they can't be tried
again. If you attempt something and it doesn't work, you've merely found a way to not do
that thing. Try again. If you feel that the "Law of Averages" will always catch
up with someone on a winning streak, it must do the same for someone who hasn't succeeded.
At some point, you'd be bound to exhaust all of the possible ways to not do something and
you'd succeed in spite of yourself! Although I'm thoroughly convinced that you'd succeed
before that point.
Falling's not hard - the ground . . . now that's hard!
Fear of failure, what's that? Pain and
embarrassment don't originate from not succeeding if you recognize that you can always try
again, or try something different. Pain and embarrassment are felt when someone gives up -
when they stop trying and accept defeat. Like the person who is afraid of heights, they
don't fear falling so much, it's hitting the ground that causes pain! As long as they
fall, there's a chance that they may not have to meet that pavement. But when they dig in
like Wyle E. Coyote, then it's game over. There's no more opportunities to try something
different.
You put one foot in front of the other . . . .
I'm sorry if my analogy seems overly flip or
grim, but I'm hoping it will help you to view your own situation in a more realistic
light. What can we possibly attempt that can't be attempted again if we aren't initially
successful? How many times would you attempt to teach your child to walk? I can't imagine
you'd try a few times and say, "Well so much for that!" How long would you try
to teach your child to talk? One year? Two? I have one friend who's first words were,
"You can turn on a red light." Honest! Imagine how frustrated/surprised his
parents must have been.
Cut Down on Your Mistakes
You may now agree it's true that you ultimately cannot fail, but you say, "But Bob, I don't want to swing all day, I want to hit a home run on my first swing at the ball!" Well, I wouldn't guarantee a home run every time you step up to the plate, but if you'd like to cut down on number of unsuccessful attempts you'd make at any endeavor, I'd recommend that you find someone to model. Find someone who has successfully done what you would like to attempt and copy the things they've done to be successful. There's really no need to re-invent the wheel.
If you'd like to be different, if you'd like to
do things your own way, try making one distinction at a time after you've
succeeded. Then you'll have a much better idea of how much of a positive or negative
influence your change has made. It's great to be unique, but let's be successful first. A
person who is unique but not successful is often perceived as just being . . . plain
strange.
Now Go Out & Fear No More
Now what will you do knowing that you can't fail? Will you go after a better job? A bigger project? Will you make a distinction in your relationships? Love more? Hate less? Give more? Take less?
Live large - risk means growth.