Fear by Guest Blogger SD Denny
In Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address in 1933, he said, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” The 32nd President of the United States was referring to the economic conditions of that time, but today I’ve come to embrace this quote on a more personal level.
How many times in your life have you been confronted by something you were afraid of and turned and walked away rather than staying to conquer it? Has fear ever prevented you from progressing in life or following your dreams?
All my life, I’ve had an extreme fear of heights, which has figuratively paralyzed me on more than one occasion. If ever the term frozen with fear were appropriate, I can say that I’ve been there and done that. One day while hanging out as a young adult at an amusement park with another couple, my boyfriend decided that he wanted to take a roller coaster ride. After all, that is what people do at amusement parks, right? Well, I had one problem with that – I don’t ride roller coasters, or anything else that requires me to climb steps that seem to lead to heaven just to get to the starting point. Unfortunately, no matter what I said, he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I was literally forced to stand in line for what seemed like an eternity and make my way up to what may as well have been the moment of my death. Talk about walking the green mile!
I hesitated the entire way, internally declaring the whole time that I would never survive this ordeal, and guess what happened… I lived! Yes, I had my eyes closed and felt like my mouth was in my stomach throughout the entire ride, but it didn’t kill me. I’d be lying if I told you that I no longer had a fear of heights, but at least I now know what is on the other side of my fear.
I also deal with this issue in my novel, The Baker’s Dozen. In the story, you’ll read how a young woman’s fear of rejection and loss was so strong that she wouldn’t allow herself the freedom to love and to be loved. It’s a story of sacrificial love that inspires you to challenge yourself to stand and face what’s on the other side of your fears.
Is fear of failure keeping you from reaching your full potential or living the life you want to live? The only thing you have to be afraid of is being afraid.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S.D Denny began writing poetry and short stories at an early age to escape the harsh realities she faced while growing up in a Brooklyn housing project. On her journey to becoming a published author, she has written and edited training material for national organizations and volunteered as a journalist for a church magazine. In addition to her debut novel, The Baker’s Dozen, S.D. is the author of an erotic anthology, and the forthcoming novel, Half, which is slated for release in 2010. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her two sons. You can visit the author on her website at http://www.sddenny.com/
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Tagged with: Guest Blogger • SD Denny • The Baker's Dozen
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Excellent piece Sharon. Everyone has something that they fear. One of my favorites sayings is “feed your faith and doubt will starve itself.
Be blessed
I have panic attacks with the fear of lack of control or autonomy. I think it started when I was stuck in a MRI machine for over 3 hours in the 1980s but it didn’t grab me right away. I freaked in the MRI from being in there so long and not being able to move but I could still ride in airplanes, drive in tunnels, be in elevators, and be confined in places that I couldn’t get in and out of at will(like roller coasters and boats). Gradually I’ve found that I have problems doing these things now. I went into full panic mode one time when I sat in the back of my SUV and accidently put my seat belt in the wrong slot and could not get out of it by myself. My mind just shut down and I went into fight or flight action. I was a mess by the time someone was able to rescue me.
I so want to conquer this as it is embarrassing, an inconvenience, and a show of lack of control which is the root of the fear in the first place. I’ve progressed a lot but I can’t get pass the airplane. I want to visit my daughter in Baltimore, Md but I can’t chance that I’ll get on that plane and not panic. Cause they won’t stop the plane to let me off or that my Xanax won’t last until the flight is finished and I make a fool of myself.
Can’t give you a success story right now but I am hoping later that this will be the case. Thanks for listening. Mo