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“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
– Plato

“Daddy! There’s a Monster Under the Bed!”

When my oldest son was 2 years and 4 months old (by the way, he’s 15 now!) he began to have trouble going to sleep at night.

I asked him, “What’s wrong?” And he said, “Daddy! There’s a monster under the bed!”  I was totally surprised. I couldn’t believe that he already was dealing with this.

I tried to explain to him that there wasn’t any monsters under the bed.

We even turned on the lights and looked together.  He seemed ok, so I turned off the light again and left.

A few minutes later he came running out saying, “Daddy! There’s a monster!”

I went with him and asked him,“Where?”

This time he pointed to his bookcase and said, “Over there, Daddy!” I turned the lights on and tried to explain to him again that there weren’t any monsters.

That was a long time ago.  Thankfully we’re through that phase. 🙂

When stuff like this happens we smile and think, “Isn’t it silly for kids to be scared of monsters in their room!”

But here’s where we get to laugh at ourselves… (You knew this was coming. Didn’t you?)

Why?  Because the MAJOR BARRIER that keeps us from succeeding is the same thing!

We’re kept from taking action and applying the truth we know because WE’RE AFRAID OF “MONSTERS!”

Now you might be thinking, “What’s he talking about? I’m not afraid of monsters!”

Oh really??

3 Monsters You’re Afraid Of

Three of the monsters we’re afraid of, that keep us from taking action, have names like:

• “FAILURE”
• “REJECTION”
• “UNKNOWN”

You and I might not be afraid of literal monsters anymore, but MOST of the things that we’re afraid of are NO MORE REAL than the monsters my little boy was afraid of!

The things we’re afraid of — the things we worry about — are usually only in our heads!!

Did you know that most people worry about things that NEVER HAPPEN!?!

Mental Patient Mentality

We’re like the patient in a mental hospital who had his ear close to the wall, listening closely. 

A staff person finally went up to him to see what was going on.  The patient whispered, “Shhh!” and motioned for the staff person to come over there.

The staff person put his ear against the wall for a long time.

Finally he said to the patient, “I can’t hear a thing! Can you?” The patient replied, “No! It’s been like that all day!”

We sit around in fear waiting for something that doesn’t happen!

We plan our lives (or change our plans) based on something that will probably never happen. We decide to never take action, because of what COULD happen if we do!

Somebody once said, “Worry is the advance interest you pay on troubles that seldom come.”

According to a man named Ken Anderson, nine times out of ten, the worrying about something does more damage to the one who worries than the thing he or she is worrying about.

Worry is a killer — literally!

The Monsters That Attack Your Biggest Plans

I’d bet that one of the reasons some people aren’t succeeding more is because they’re afraid.

They come up with an idea and a plan but then they think…

• “But I’ve never done this before! I don’t know what will happen if I do this!” (Fear of unknown)
• “What if I try it and it doesn’t work?” (Fear of failure)
• “What will people think if this idea is a failure?” (Fear of rejection)

Listen. I’m not judging you or trying to say, “I got it all together!”

I’m NOT sharing these thoughts with you to make you feel stupid, but to show you how illogical our fears that hold us back are!

I want you to succeed! Let me be real with you…

I ALMOST didn’t interview the first 18 experts for my ebooks, “How Your Business Can Survive And Prosper In A Recession“

Why?  Because back then I was scared.

But I used one of the most powerful weapons to defeat fear… I took action — in spite of my fear!

A Cherokee Indian man named Sequichie Comingdeer said, “The death of fear is in doing what you fear to do.”

I think it was Brian Tracy who said…

“Purposeful action is the only cure for worry!”

That’s your first step for now.

Get mad enough to take action in spite of your fears!

(Be wise in your actions.  Know effective methods to use.  Analyze the real situation you’re in.  But then… take some action!)

Because, if you don’t take action, then you’ll forever be like the fisherman I heard about.

The Peculiar Fisherman

I heard about a very peculiar fisherman from Minnesota. Why was he peculiar? Good question.

At first glance, he didn’t seem very peculiar.

In fact, he seemed pretty exceptional.

Why?

Well, this fisherman was very well prepared. He knew how to fish.

Not only that, but he had all the equipment you’d ever need to be a good fisherman.

He had poles, bait, nets – he even a really nice boat.

But this fisherman had a problem. A big problem.

You see, even with all his preparation he never caught anything.

Not even one fish. Not even once!

And do you want to know why he never caught a fish?

The answer is easy: He never went fishing.

He had all the knowledge and all the equipment, but his fear would never allow him to get into the boat and never let him leave the dock.

The sad thing is this kind of person isn’t so peculiar or unique these days.

In fact, I’d say they’re way too common.

So I want to encourage you to be the peculiar person. Be the peculiar one who takes action, even when you’re scared of monsters!

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Photo by The Midnight Blues Photography