You have things you need to do, and it freaks you out. I get it, but maybe you’re looking at it wrong. Life is full of fun surprises. So why do you make the fun things scary?
I mean it’s not like you’re being attacked by mutant vampire monks.
Wooden Stakes and Vampire Monks
First of all, if you’re thinking I’m talking about religious monks, you must not have read my post Fear of Failing Is Causing You to Miss Out. Vampire monks are mutant vampire bat, chipmunk hybrids (and zombies aren’t really known for following the rules of grammar… unless those rules are trapped inside a brain, then all bets are off.)
Vampire monks are pretty much like vampire bats except they burrow in the ground, which is a challenge for anyone trying to doing any decent work around their hovel. They are almost as bad as the lumbering mutants that attack anything that moves, but a lot smaller.
The other day I was pounding some wooden stakes in the ground (as one does in a post-apocalyptic world). The next thing I know I’m being chased by a swarm of vampire monks. There’s something about the thought of getting toxic rabies that really puts a damper on one’s desire to get things done.
But I’m here to ask you a question: Why do you make fun things scary? Because I found something out that day: We often miss out on good things out of fear. Luckily, I discovered this just in the neck of time (see what I did there… “neck of time”. Well, for a zombie, it’s clever.)
Fun with Monks
As I was looking out my hovel door, knowing if I had a pulse it would be going crazy, I saw the vampire monks heading back into their holes just as a couple lumbering mutants were heading right toward the hovel. It was at that moment I had an idea: this doesn’t have to be scary. I can have fun with it.
Why not make it work to my advantage?
Monk Meet
I headed out to approach the mutants, but just before we met I stopped short right by my ratty-old tree. I shook it hard, and the branches started to crash against each other.
The mutants stopped, transfixed by the swaying branches. Then the vampire monks started buzzing about from the noise. This only made the mutants more enthralled as they guffawed and clapped at the flying rodents, which made the burrowing aviators swarm them. They had reached some bizarre level of dumbfounded symbiosis, and I was able to put in my stakes without a bother.
In fact, it’s now become a weird game between us. The mutants come around shaking trees for the monks. The monks hear the noise and swarm around in fascination. At the end of it, everyone is too tired to worry about any projects I have going on. As long as I wait, I can do my work with wild abandon using all the tools I need to succeed.
It’s been so beneficial that when I look at them through my hovel window I wonder to myself, “why do you make fun things scary?” After all, this worked out to my advantage.
Now what about you?
Why Do You Make Fun Things Scary
I know you don’t have vampire monks or lumbering mutants, so what things do you have that scare you? Have you ever stopped to look at them differently and see where there is fun to be had?
That report that you don’t want to do – have you ever thought about trying to fit 3 crazy phrases in it without anyone noticing? That person that you have to talk to but are afraid to – have you ever thought about just going up to them with a coffee in hand and out of the blue saying “did you order a coffee with sugar?”
When they look at you perplexed, wondering why you’re acting like a barista in the middle of an office, throwing out a simple “no…” with a deep sense of bewilderment in their voice, you can simply answer with a “Oh. Then this must be mine.” Then take a sip, smile, and say “Hi. I’m Sue.” Be sure to use your own name, or that could get awkward fast, (Bob, I’m looking at you.)
More often than not, you can make scary things fun. You can turn the adrenaline of fear into excitement about possibilities. Don’t let the buzzy things and mutations in your life keep you locked in your hovel. Find out how to make it fun, and take control of your life.
- Make It Easy: Big tasks seem scary. Focus only on the first, small thing. Do less to do more.
- Look at it Differently: Don’t be so stuck in your preconceptions you don’t see possibilities.
- Make It a Game: Don’t be so stuck in your preconceptions you don’t see possibilities.
