I met a dragon* last night. Thing was scaly, with talons and spikes.
You know what I was told to do when I was staring open mouthed and apprehensive? Touch it. Pick it up.
I was thinking: Are you nuts. Dragon has scales! Talons! Spikes! It's teeth could rip my finger off!
I picked one up anyway. (After some convincing of course.)
And guess what? The scales weren't that rough. The talons curled around my finger (in a nice way). The spikes were all for show - they were rubber and bendy. The dragon didn't even have teeth!
It wasn't so bad.
That's kind of like life too. Sometimes we're terrified just by looking at what's in front of us. Our fear paralyzes us. The worst thing? Sometimes our dreams seem so big and unreachable they may as well be fire-breathing dragons with claws as big as your head.
But if we just reach out and grab whatever's terrifying us (unless it's your boss or another person because no one wants sexual harassment charges!) we just might find out, it isn't as awful as we thought it would be.
Have you ever magnified your fear of something so much that you made it out to be way worse than it ever was? Have you faced any of your fears lately?
*More specifically, a Bearded Dragon.
Also this is my 100th post. I can't believe I've written a hundred of these things and people actually read them! Thanks for being here guys!
Great post and so very, very true! Yes, I've made dragons out of geckos more than a few times in my life, and you are right, just by facing them they aren't as scary and might even be wonderful. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this metaphor. Yes, I do this ALL the time. Then I force myself forward anyway, otherwise I start eating junk food and gaining weight.
ReplyDeleteOh, Melissa. Did I mention you won "When It Happens" on adopt-a-book Friday. Send me your address and I'll mail the book out on Monday. :)
All the time.
ReplyDeleteAnd the longer I avoid facing my fears, the scarier they become in my mind.
:-)
Oh, my fears really are fire-breathing dragons. Well, at first.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 100th post.
Very true! And congrats on 100 posts!
ReplyDeleteYay for 100 posts!! I love touching all those lizards and things- their scales are so cool. And you are so right- you never know until you concquer your fear and touch it.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 100 posts!
ReplyDeleteOn fear, I'm in the midst of it right now for personal reasons. It's stressful and scary, but every time I look back I realize it wasn't that bad.
I told my brother yesterday that dreams are the mountaintop and fear keeps you in the foothills.
If you keep looking up at the peak you'll stay frustrated because you can't reach it. Keep looking down and being fearful, you'll stop climbing or fall, which is what you're afraid of in the first place.
It's best to focus on the next foothold, the next fingerhold, and take it one rock at a time.
Focus on the details of NOW and you'll be surprised at how much your fears subside.
- Eric
100 posts!
ReplyDelete300 Followers!
Dragons!
You rock.
I have a big dragon right now and I'm trying to face it, but it's kind of frothing at the mouth. Needless to say, it's going to be a little hard to overcome.
This happens to me all the time. Or things I know I need to do but keep putting off because I am scared of it. Then it grows and grows until I actually do it and then, bam! It wasn't so bad.
ReplyDeleteWHOOOT! 100 posts! good job! and you have 301 followers!! Jealous! I miss you.
Congrats on your 100th post!!! I magnify EVERYTHING medical that has to be done to me (that includes dentistry) and it's never anywhere near as bad as I think it's going to be. Ever. I slay that dragon every time. But those are the bad dragons. I don't slay the good dragons. I leave those ones alone!
ReplyDeleteNo dragons, just my own hang-ups about the sequel to my book. And congratulations on 100 posts!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 100 posts! Definitely an accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteAnd fears? You'll laugh . . . doing the dishes. I bought rubber gloves and now it's all better. Just needed a little help. :)
Oh my, someone just pointed out you also have 300+ followers! GO YOU and CONGRATS on both your 100th post and the followers!!!
ReplyDeleteAs to your topic, um, YES. I overthink things all the time, and most of the time it's never as bad as I think it's going to be. I still hate public speaking though (not that I do much of it, but yeah...).
Congrats on your 100th post!
ReplyDeleteWe have an exhibit at our zoo where you can touch sting rays. Obviously, they can't hurt you because the zoo wouldn't be encouraging toddlers to stick their hands into the water if they could, but I was super freaked out to touch one. I kept sticking my hands in and then recoiling in fear whenever they would swim by me. I finally caught the side of one and it felt really weird and rubbery. After that, it wasn't so weird!
Glad you survived to tell the tale.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually how I felt about subbing. I thought they'd eat me alive. But I kept doing it and most days were okay. Some were even fun.
Haha! Those things are nuts! I didn't know it was more rubbery! Great advice for life too.
ReplyDeleteYOu brave one, you! Oh yeah and all of my anxieties become magnified in the middle of the night--totally!
ReplyDeleteYAY 100 *throws confetti*
Can't think of an obvious example right now, but I've done lots of things that I thought afterwards I'd never have done if I'd thought about it too much beforehand.
ReplyDelete100 posts - and over 300 followers now too! Rock on!
Whoa, great analogy. I would have to answer yes, and yes! I posted a short story on one of my pages (scary for me to do). Faced that fear. Now, on to the next one....
ReplyDeleteYes, I do this all the time. I'm kind of like an ostrich; if something intimidates I will just stick my head in a hole and if I can't see it, it can't see me...right? Lol! Love Bearded Dragons:-) My little guy held one this year and it practically hugged him. So cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and congrats on the 100th post and 300 followers! Awesome!
100 posts! Congrats Melissa:)
ReplyDeleteFear is life's restraint, holding many of us at bay from reaching our full potential. Overcoming fear can be downright scary in itself...but when it happens, success can smell like Spring...or something like that:)
Love reading your posts...100 and counting!
EL
I had to go look up what a bearded dragon looked like. Wow. Those are cool!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on 100 posts!
Of critters -no way. I am afraid of things that can eat me - Like the IRS.
ReplyDeleteLol and they are always worse than you can imagine.
Still, I love your parable!
Congrats on 100 posts--I love readin them! You're brave:). I think I would have just looked rather than touched the dragon. No major fears in life, although I'm terrified of big ugly bugs!
ReplyDeletePerhaps its a cultural thing but I've never viewed dragons as terrifying. (Dragons are supposed to bring good luck, rain, etc....)
ReplyDeleteBut nothing like overcoming your fears! Great post!