Why Fear
Whether or not you succeed or not is decided in your mind first
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14: 27
Dreaming is something that all people do and sometimes some people have dreams so big, dreams so great that they can't hold them in. There are brilliant people out there who are not just great dreamers, but also extremely intelligent and can use their dreams to help more people than they can imagine. Which makes it very sad that these people who should be broadcasting their dreams the loudest are the ones that kill it the fastest.
Why does this happen? Why do they fear?
One thing that I have noticed is that the more intelligent and introspective a person is, the less likely they are to follow their dreams.
It sounds crazy but it's what I've seen.
I think the reason for this is because people who are intelligent are constantly thinking about what could go wrong and how to prepare for that. The more eventualities that they try to plan for the less likely they are to actually do anything and even when something comes out that thing isn't them.
Take me for example, when I first started writing I spent weeks on my first post trying to make sure everything went well and that I didn't write anything to make anyone angry. Then I tried to do that for the next one and the next one, but I couldn’t sustain it. Even worse looking over the writings, that wasn't me. Not my thoughts or feelings but what I thought would not get me in trouble.
Those who don't think as much tend to be bold to follow their dreams because what happens will happen. They will obviously prepare to handle the trouble they might come, but they don't over-analyze everything and deal with things as they come at them.
I know luck is preparation meeting opportunity but trying to over-prepare will make you miss all opportunities around you.
Besides you can't avoid mistakes no matter how hard you try, so you should be ready to learn from them and avoid the worse ones.
Unfortunately, whether you overthink or not there is one major thing that keeps people paralyzed when it comes to pursuing their dreams: The world.
The world is not a nice place to be in. Everything you do will always be scrutinized. The more public you make it, the more scrutiny it will get, and that is terrifying.
It is not just terrifying, but mortifying.
Everything you make is a part of you, the more energy you put into it the more of yourself you put in it. So when people are ripping into what you made, it is like someone is ripping into you and that thought terrifies you.
"Will this part of me be liked by others?"
"Will this be what will make everyone hate me?"
"Is this a really stupid thing actually?"
All these are thoughts that I have had, things that make me afraid and hold me back. That fear of what people might think of what I was doing is the greatest thing that I think holds, not just me, but everyone back.
We are so obsessed with what everyone thinks about us that the hypothetical thought that people might have for us ends up stopping us from doing anything.
You should keep people’s reactions in mind, like your target market and making sure you’re not insulting anyone, but they shouldn’t stop you from doing anything. Like I said earlier those who think too much tend to be the ones who end up spiralling here. Sometimes it is just best to do what you want and brace for whatever will come your way.
I know that every criticism feels hard to swallow, but it is something we will face and there is no way to pre-emptively avoid it. After all, no matter what you do people will find something to be upset with you about.
To summarize, thinking is something that helps us to do great things and achieve our dreams, overthinking just creates fear that will drag us down. There will be mistakes, there will be people who don’t like you and you might fail. Think of ways to overcome all your problems, but don’t let that create a fear that holds you back.
