Give it a go!

I was talking earlier today about a book I read almost three thousand years ago. OK, it wasn’t that long ago, but it was still a while. Most of the words are still in my head to this day, and quite a few are in the same order… but I think there’s only about fifty words used in the whole book! The book is ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ by Dr Seuss.

Alright, it’s a book that teaches little ones how to read, but it does have another meaning too.

The main part of the story is the main character’s refusal to try something as he thinks he doesn’t like it. I’m not going to write a review of the book – if you haven’t read it, you’ll have to find a copy for yourself! It is quite fun actually, and quite catchy too! Besides, the title tends to give a lot of the story away…

So, what stops us trying to do something that we have never done before? Our thoughts, that’s what!

We might imagine that we don’t like something because we judge it on our first impression. Not very fair , is it? What has that lovely plate of green ham done to you?

We might imagine that we won’t like something after we have tried it, so think it is better not to try it in the first place. Or we may just be frightened of trying it.

Fear is probably the biggest stumbling block of anything. It holds us in our place. It causes our imaginations to fire up and brings forth all kinds of ridiculous scenarios, that probably would never ever happen anyway. Sometimes these scenarios generated by fear are so far-fetched, we could watch a similar scene in a movie and say that would never happen in real life, yet we believe what is being told to us in our minds.

Fear is irrational.

It’s handy to be cautious at times, not to jump right in and throw caution to the wind, but even being cautious is a far cry from being paralysed by fear.

Think about something that you have always wanted to do, but then had second thoughts. I remember years ago, I was at a seaside resort and they had a swing on one of the piers. Not an ordinary swing. One that hoisted the user hundreds of feet into the air, dropped them until the rope caught, and then left them to swing out to sea and back, before settling down to a stop, when the ride was over. I liked the look of it, but was afraid to give it a go. I was there with a few friends, and together, we decided we would try it. As we were queuing to pay, fear struck me. It cost £10.00 per person to have a go, and I was stood by the kiosk, with two friends, clutching my money trying desperately to think of an excuse to back out. I actually said I was having second thoughts. One of my friends grabbed the note out of my hand and paid. That was it. There was no going back. £10.00 is £10.00 after all. So we went to the waiting area.  We had to wait for an hour seeing the people before us using the swing. All three of us were very anxious when it was our time to go. But we did it. I was in the middle, with the others on either side. When we reached the highest point, my friend to the right had the un-envious task of releasing us. The people down below were the size of ants. All of our hearts were pounding. We heard a click, and we fell. To be honest, I don’t remember the fall as I was screaming that loud, but it felt good. It felt even better when the rope caught and we were swinging back and to. It was actually quite relaxing after the initial shock, and when it was all over we were all glad we had done it. And to think I was seconds away from turning my back on a brand new experience.

Obviously there are certain things that it goes without saying not to try, but there are many more situations, events, and opportunities that can be missed by not trying. To be able to say “Yes! I did that!” afterwards makes going through the fear even more worthwhile!

Another good book I read, not quite as long ago, is called ‘Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway!’ by Susan Jeffers. In the book, Susan advises the only thing we fear is fear itself. It makes sense!

So, next time you think I do not like XXXXX, stop. Are you thinking it … or fearing it?