danger us

Danger. I'm trying to understand my own fears, and I wonder if they come from danger. If I think about the activities I participate in with the highest levels of danger, driving my car comes to mind, the occasional mountain bike ride I take through Fantasy Island, and maybe throwing my body around at our weekly pickup football game. These are possibly the most dangerous practices I have, but they don't really cause me any fear. Rather, they don't cause me any of the mind-crippling fear that inhibits action. I'll tell you what does cause me fear, a new job. I fear big time whether I'll like it, whether it will make me happy. But where's the "danger"? They probably don't haze new employees by stabbing them with shivs on days one, two, and three. Most likely they won't cook me up and eat me for poor job performance. And presumably they don't have the corporate policy of "jumping me out" gang style if I decide to quit. Maybe it's mental harm I'm looking to avoid. But a long time ago Sister Gilliland taught me that I'm the one in charge of the way I feel. Perhaps I need to employ these two sayings. 1. "Grin and bear it" and 2. "Fake it 'til you make it".