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jorgelito · 09-18-2008, 07:15 PM

I have an intense fear of heights. I'm not sure if it's something you are born with (is natural) or if I developed over the course of my life.

I have a fear of public speaking. Stage fright. It wasn't always this way as I used to be quite the performer and often spoke in front of large groups of people. But as it stands now, I am absolutely terrified of public speaking.

I have a fear of not being the best I can be, that I somehow, quit trying and settle for being adequate.

I have a fear that I cannot save the world.

I no longer fear failure because I have hit rock bottom in my life before and survived it. If anything I have learned, the fear of failure is married to the fear of success.

I have confronted my fears head on since.

To fight the fear of heights I have gone rock climbing, bungee jumping, skywalking, zip-lining, and have skydiving up next. I am still afraid of heights but feel more exhilarated for having tried. Despite the continued fear, at least I have taken control of it.

To fight the fear of public speaking, I auditioned and won the honor to be the student speaker at my college graduation. I was terrified. I made sure to face my fear head on under tremendous pressure. Most of my friends and family were in attendance as well as professors and distinguished guests. In front of hundreds of people I delivered my speech. And failed. I nearly fainted. According to witnesses, my voice went from the usual smooth baritone to high pitched squeaking in 5 seconds flat. I was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. But in spite of my God awful delivery, my words must have made some impact as I finished to thunderous applause. Many of the distinguished guests asked for copies of my speech as well. Apparently I never said the word "um", or "you know", or "uh". Maybe in some way it was a success. But for now, I have to keep on trying. Next on the list: entering a karaoke contest.

I suppose fear is what reminds me I am human, that personal improvement, overcoming challenges is never ending.

I don't know if I will ever conquer these fears, but I no longer fear the fearing.

And that, can be considered a success.

09-18-2008, 07:15 PM	#40 (permalink)
jorgelito All important elusive independent swing voter... Location: People's Republic of KKKalifornia	I have an intense fear of heights. I'm not sure if it's something you are born with (is natural) or if I developed over the course of my life. I have a fear of public speaking. Stage fright. It wasn't always this way as I used to be quite the performer and often spoke in front of large groups of people. But as it stands now, I am absolutely terrified of public speaking. I have a fear of not being the best I can be, that I somehow, quit trying and settle for being adequate. I have a fear that I cannot save the world. I no longer fear failure because I have hit rock bottom in my life before and survived it. If anything I have learned, the fear of failure is married to the fear of success. I have confronted my fears head on since. To fight the fear of heights I have gone rock climbing, bungee jumping, skywalking, zip-lining, and have skydiving up next. I am still afraid of heights but feel more exhilarated for having tried. Despite the continued fear, at least I have taken control of it. To fight the fear of public speaking, I auditioned and won the honor to be the student speaker at my college graduation. I was terrified. I made sure to face my fear head on under tremendous pressure. Most of my friends and family were in attendance as well as professors and distinguished guests. In front of hundreds of people I delivered my speech. And failed. I nearly fainted. According to witnesses, my voice went from the usual smooth baritone to high pitched squeaking in 5 seconds flat. I was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. But in spite of my God awful delivery, my words must have made some impact as I finished to thunderous applause. Many of the distinguished guests asked for copies of my speech as well. Apparently I never said the word "um", or "you know", or "uh". Maybe in some way it was a success. But for now, I have to keep on trying. Next on the list: entering a karaoke contest. I suppose fear is what reminds me I am human, that personal improvement, overcoming challenges is never ending. I don't know if I will ever conquer these fears, but I no longer fear the fearing. And that, can be considered a success. __________________ "The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but to the one that endures to the end." "Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!" - My recruiter Last edited by jorgelito; 09-18-2008 at 07:20 PM.. Reason: jorgelito is an idiot. stoopid grammar...