“Anxiety is fear of one’s self.” – Wilhelm Stekel
There are a handful of things that I’m absolutely convinced that I do better than anyone. I border on cocky when it comes to:
#1. My cooking. I’m that good.
#2. My gladiolas.
#3. My quote collection.
I’m what has to be the world’s biggest collector and lover of quotes. Can’t be anyone who rivals me. I have notebooks full of quotes and shelves full of notebooks. I’ve pilfered them from biographies, movies, newspapers, Andy Griffith, every word ever spoken by Ronald Reagan, etc…
They always make me think. Thinking’s a good thing. As a rule.
I came across the one at the top of this post a few days ago. It really made me think. (See?) “Anxiety is fear of one’s self.”
What if Wilhelm Stekel was right? What if each one of the fears and anxieties of each of us can be traced directly to…..us?
What if we’re giving spiders, heights, darkness, public speaking, and even the worst evil of all – the vile, fork-tongued princes of darkness – too much credit.
If we buy into all of this (and I think we should at least lease it), there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that we’re basically putting on a scary mask, looking into the mirror, and flat out scaring the bejesus out of ourselves.
The good news is that since we are the ones in control, that makes us more powerful than, literally, our worst nightmare.
“The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear.” – William Jennings Brown
I think the thing at the base of every fear is a doubt in ourself being able to handle the situation. When I think of my worst fear – the fork-tongued harbingers of ugliness that I spoke of before (can’t say the word. Jinx and all that) – it’s ultimately a fear of how I would react. I wouldn’t know what to do if one of them approached me with evil intentions. I’d freak some big fear and the thing would slowly eat all 5’3″ of me. The husband says they don’t eat people but he doesn’t know them like I do.
What if, armed with this information, we intentionally exposed ourselves to our fears to prove that we can handle ourselves and, thereby, our fears?
WE’D GET STRONGER AS OUR FEARS GOT WEAKER.
“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
Afraid of speaking in public? Sign up for a public speaking class at the local college. Afraid of mice? Make supervised visits with a nice one. Whatever it is that overwhelms you – overwhelm it.
Unless it’s you-know-what’s. No need being a damned fool.
Make each moment count double,
~Joi
TMFC
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