Danger Must Be Known Before Fear Can Be Felt

One of the worst feelings we have is false fear.

We build ourselves into a frenzy of fear by claiming there’s a danger here and there. It’s everywhere to some people.

The fear only takes hold when we place a level of danger to an action.

Man rock climbing

Image By Alex Indingo

Some people fear leaving the house. Having children. Growing old. Being abandoned. Skydiving.

I face some of those fears. And I have others. Like public speaking. It terrifies me.

Why?

Because I’ve associated it with something dangerous. Failing. Stumbling over my words. Looking like a fool.

Yep. To me those are the dangers of public speaking.

But what happens if we took away the sense of danger? The fear begins to subside.

Without danger, the fear has no hold.

Senator Carl Hayden of Arizona, the oldest senator in continuous service in the Senate chamber, emphasized this point in a story he told.

There once was a dude rancher from Brooklyn, NY who returned to his lodge after a day in the mountain, waving a formidable set of rattlers.

“Where did you get those rattlers,” asked an astounded dude wrangler.

“Off’n the biggest woim I ever saw,” was the calm reply.

Now, we all know rattlesnakes can be a dangerous creature. Especially when provoked.

The dude rancher didn’t know the danger when he approached the rattlesnake. He just went, killed the snake, and took the rattles.

Imagine if he would have known what he was facing. I’m certain he would have turned tail and ran.

Instead, he had no sense of danger. He thought it was a big worm. Thus he had no fear.

Is it time you stop applying fear to every situation in your life? Would this cause you to be less fearful? To do a better job?

Let’s see how this could be applied:

  • You fear your boss: Yes, your boss can be scary. He has the power to keep you or fire you. There’s a lot of power he’s wielding.
     
    So you associate him with danger. This causes your job performance to suffer as you spend so much time worrying about what you will do wrong. Your productivity decreases.
     
    Instead, let’s say you stop seeing your boss as dangerous. Your demeanor changes when he’s around. You’re calmer. More relaxed. You’re able to do your job without fear.
     
    What could happen as a result?
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  • You fear your wife will cheat on you: Whoa! Did I just say that? Yep. There’s people out there who fear this.
     
    You place danger with your spouse being away from you. Your mind fills with thoughts of disloyalty. As your thoughts flow in this direction, you begin to pull away from your spouse. Becoming guarded and secretive because you’ve given danger a name.
     
    This isn’t healthy. It creates a poor marriage. Stop claiming infidelity as a danger in your marriage. Focus on what you can do to ensure you’ll create a strong marriage. Listen to your spouse. Support your spouse. Give your spouse your best.
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  • You fear your employees are not giving their best: The danger you’re naming is poor employee performance. With it named, you begin fearing that they’re trying to rip off the company.
     
    This grips you with fear and you begin to rule with an iron fist. Counting the minutes of lunch breaks. Counting the number of pieces they output. Counting the number of bathroom breaks.
     
    All this goes to create an unhealthy work environment. It’s not productive to you or the employees.

Can you see how giving danger a name causes you to feel fear?

By knowing the danger you begin to focus on the negatives. They grow by the minute. Until they’re overwhelming.

Instead of deciding on the dangers of a situation we must begin to focus on the positive outcomes.

As you take this turn you’ll notice a change in your life situations. Your boss begins to like you more, your wife is more affectionate, your employees begin to care about the company.

It’s time we stop naming the dangers in our everyday life. Begin to live looking towards the positives. You’re life will be better for it.

Question: How have you let danger bring fear into your life? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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