LFG: Let’s Fearlessly Go

Fear as an antiquated signal

Most of us are still walking around with our appendices. Those pesky appendages that don’t really do anything useful except cause us to have emergency surgery at the most inconvenient time. And hey, if you’re in a pickle at work you can always say, “brb my appendix burst,” but in my experience, this only works once per job.

The appendix isn’t the only outdated thing we’ve got. Our brains, miraculous, beautiful organs that they are, are also filled with some pretty damn annoying evolutionary leftovers. Yeah anxiety can be useful in keeping the cave fire going, or watching carefully out for wooly mammoths, but today it mostly keeps a lot of psychs in business, and a lot of people in misery.

Fear is the same way. Once useful, still sometimes useful, but more often than not, another way our brains mess with us just for laughs. We haven’t evolved to our modern moment, wherein most of our needs are met, where, on the whole, we’re pretty safe. And even though some of might not leave the cozy security of our houses, or even our beds, we feel beset, often crippled even, by fear.

Fear of the unknown, or worse, fear of the known. Fear of failure, or more insidious, fear of success. Fear of trying, or of having not tried enough.

I’m not here to tell you to renounce fear, that would be like renouncing your gallbladder, whatever that does. But what I am saying is that fear is a bit…dated. And yet it retains its vice-like hold over us. We aren’t running from dinosaurs anymore. Yet so often do we feel like it.

So here’s my spiel. If you’re deciding between two options, a safer, sensible one, and a bolder, scarier one, consider taking the fearful road. Don’t do something stupid, be safe of course, but give yourself the courage to go for it. In my life, I’ve found that I wasted so many years and tears avoiding doing the things I really wanted to do, but was afraid of. I’ve found that the scary path is usually the right one.

So don’t be an appendix, don’t be afraid, or don’t be any more afraid than you need to be. Or be afraid and just do it anyway. Let’s fearlessly go wherever our hearts lead us.

Alternative titles for this post I still think are worthwhile:

LFG: Letting Fear Go

LFG: Letting Fear Guide