Fear

Archived Posts from this Category

December 9, 2010

I chickened out!

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Courage, Fear, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

I was walking on the 103rd floor of the tallest building in the United States

and suddenly, I chickened out…

File:Sears Tower ss.jpg

In October 2009, I visited the Willis Tower ( formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago. When I reached the top floor, I noticed some glass balconies that were suspended outside the building. The all-glass boxes allow visitors to look through the floor to the street 1,353 feet below. The boxes, which can bear five  tons of weight, extend approximately four feet over Wacker Drive from the 103rd floor.

It is a very interesting experience to look down at the cars when we feel like we’re walking on thin air.

As I entered one of the balconies, I walked right in it and I wasn’t able to stay in the box more than 30 seconds. Beside me, there was a child of 3 years playing in the box without a worry in the world. The boy played in the box for at least a good 10-15 minutes.

I suddenly realized how fearful I had become as an adult compared to this little child. I knew the boxes were very solid, but I didn’t trust it enough to stay longer than 30 seconds. 30 very long seconds.

Was it the structure of the box or myself I didn’t trust?

I was humbled by the innocence and the complete trust of a child.

How many times in your life do you avoid doing something because you don’t trust yourself? 

Because you’re afraid…

or you don’t finish what you start…because… because… because.

Do one thing EVERYDAY that scares you!!!!!!

 

 

December 8, 2010

Do you remember Dumbo the Elephant?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Failure, Fear, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Risk, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

Turn your weakness into a strength!

One of the most inspirational stories ever told is the story of Dumbo the Elephant. Throughout most of his young life, Dumbo was persecuted for having big ears. As a result, he hated his ears because they always brought him down. One day, however, he falls from an airplane, but then something amazing happens. Dumbo begins to flap his ears, and he can fly! The very things that had brought Dumbo down his whole life are now lifting him up.

A good book that explains how to turn your negatives to your advantage is…..

Product Details

How many times in your life did someone make fun of you only to realize later on that it was actually your strength??????

How many times did someone criticize you for doing something good????

How many times did you feel guilty because of other people’s personal beliefs?

How can you learn to turn your “weakness into a strength”?

Next time you feel this way, try to remember Dumbo.

 

 

 

December 7, 2010

Hurry! Hurry! Make new mistakes!

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Courage, Criticism, Decision, Failure, Fear, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Procrastination, Risk, Success, Time | Tags: , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

“If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.”

Tallulah Bankhead

_______________________________________________________

 

It’s good to make mistakes!!!

Repeat after me,

It’s good to make mistakes!!!

Forget about what others will say.

You will experience failure many times in your life. Not all the time, but you will. If you don’t fail enough, it’s probably because you don’t try new things very often.

We can do this with our dreams; wish them away, let them slip away because we are afraid to fail, afraid to get started or because we are waiting for the right moment. The right moment? Most of the time, is an excuse or at best, an illusion.

I make so many mistakes all the time. Am I a slow learner? It’s possible, however, it’s the only way to improve anything. Every time I take a chance to make a mistake, I also get a chance to do something right.

An exemple?  The top scorer in the NHL will miss his shots more often than he will score a goal, but we don’t remember when he misses, we add up the goals.

We will always miss 100 % of the shots we don’t take.

Some of you may argue that we should learn from what we are doing good, and I agree. We should always repeat our good experiences to the extent that we benefit from them.

However, we should not let ourselves be paralyzed with inaction because of the fear of making mistakes. The young baby who is learning to walk will fall. The one who is learning to swim or to dance will not be very elegant at first. The failing is part of the learning process.

Will you risk making a mistake today?   At least one…

 

December 3, 2010

Wisdom from Peanuts!

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Consequence, Courage, Death, Decision, Fear, Illusion, Important question, Life, Life expectancy, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

“I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at the time.”

Charles Schulz, Peanuts, cartoon

____________________________________________________

A while ago, a lady went to a restaurant in downtown Montreal to celebrate her birthday with her husband , as they entered the restaurant, apparently they asked the hostess for a seat near the window to get access to a better view…

This is an excerpt of the Montreal Gazette July 17, 2009

“MONTREAL – One minute Thursday night, a couple was quietly celebrating a birthday inside the Mikasa Sushi Bar on Peel St.; the next minute, a concrete slab crashed through the glass skylight above them, killing the 33-year-old woman instantly.

Her husband of two years, also 33, lay next to her lifeless body screaming, “Ma femme! Ma femme! Stay with me!”

He pleaded for help, but other diners and staff were paralyzed with shock. Minutes later, sobbing and screaming, the man was loaded into an ambulance, his right hand wrapped in a blood-soaked napkin, two single tracks of blood running down his cheek.

“Her birthday was Monday, that’s what they were celebrating,” said the nurse, who spoke on condition that her name not be published. The concrete panel from the 18th floor of the Marriott Residence Inn crashed through the sloping glass ceiling of the restaurant, which lies directly below at street level, and hit the woman “directly” – while she was seated at her table, said Montreal police Constable Olivier Lapointe.”

The last thing this couple was expecting on that evening was a piece of concrete to fall on the woman’s head…  33 years old.   (12 045 days)

The reason why I bring up this story today is to show that when we have regrets about the past or worries about the future, we waste precious time and energy. We must focus on the present.

This is where our attention should be because this is where we have a little more control over what happens to us. This lady didn’t have much control over what happened to her that night.

Today, try to focus your attention on what you can influence and the rest will take care of itself.

I agree with the creator of Peanuts; we should only “dread one day at a time”

How many days to you “dread” in advance?

 

September 2, 2010

The future and the present.

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Courage, Failure, Fear, Here, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Serenity, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

“The future will depend on what we do in the present”

Mahatma Gandhi

(1869-1948)

__________________________________________________________________

We all know this, it is so simple to understand when we read it. However, the challenge is not only to read it and understand it, the real challenge is to practice what we understand so well.

Yes, practice it day in day out, especially when you have distractions, a bad day or a good day.

Whatever is your dream, your project, your goal, pursue it relentlessly without wasting time.

You need a burning desire to keep you absorbed and focused, even when you have so many responsibilities and distractions.

Will you?

 

July 9, 2010

What Do You Resist To Change?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Fear, Important question, Kvetching, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
[2] Comments 

Change is constant in the world we live in. We all know that but somehow, many of us seem to forget this at times.

Why? It is not change most people resist, but rather the pain and discomfort during the period of transition. From birth on, we are constantly changing with never ending new experiences. Our bodies change with time, our thoughts and emotions, our relationships, our finances and our health. Every thing within us and around us is changing constantly.

The change is sometimes so slow that we don’t pay attention to it. If you find yourself resisting to change without being aware of it, I recommend that you hide a fresh banana somewhere for 30 days. Take it out of its hiding place after a month and you will witness the transformation in action. The banana experiment is a clear demonstration of the nature of change. Not all changes will be so noticeable, but the principle of change remains the same.

Winston Churchill said something like this many years ago;

“Take change by the hand before change grabs you by the throat”

It means to me; accept and cooperate with the change that is inevitable before it will be imposed on us.

Do you find yourself resisting to change in some areas of your life?

If your answer is yes, is it because of fear, comfort or any other reasons?

 

July 8, 2010

Before my cancer…

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Courage, Death, Decision, Fear, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

“Before my cancer, I was often afraid to try new things or do something different. But I just began singing lessons and this summer I’m off on my first kayak camping trip. I have a chance at living again, and I try to take a moment every day to really appreciate just being alive.”

Joshua, 24 years old, testicular cancer, 2-year survivor

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

July 7, 2010

Live a long life or die young?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Death, Decision, Fear, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , |
Leave a Comment 

“Live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse.”

Author unknown

_________________________________________________________________

I don’t know who wrote this, but he or she probably had some hedonistic tendancies or a good sense of humor.

It brings to my mind the following questions;

It is better to live a very long  life and experience illness, old age and slowly losing  most of our physical and mental capacities or is it better to live fully and die younger before we experience all these inconvenients?

I don’t know, what are the pros and cons?

What do you think?

Which one would you prefer?

 

June 13, 2010

Sweat and Struggle

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Courage, Decision, Fear, Life expectancy, Life leadership, Procrastination, Results, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

“Don’t feel entitled to anything you don’t sweat and struggle for”

Marian Wright Edelman (1939- )

American activist and founder of the Children’s Defence Fund

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you ever hear the saying “Easy come, easy go”? There seems to be an unwritten law in nature that takes away what we don’t deserve or what we didn’t work hard enough for. There is no way to prove it, but we can witness it over and over again in the form of people winning the lottery and spending everything very quickly, or children who inherit from rich parents without having to work for their money. Another variaton of this is when people have such an easy life that they are unable to cope when disaster strikes.

Do you often try to take some shortcut in order to get what you want?

 

April 24, 2010

Julius Caesar on worrying

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Courage, Fear, Important question, Life, Procrastination, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , |
[3] Comments 

“As a rule, men worry more about what they can’t see than about what they can.”

Julius Caesar

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Why do we worry so much?

What do we get out of it?

What’s in it for us?

It is true that we worry more about the unseen and the unknown.

Many people who have written or spoken about worry have told the statistics story. The earliest source that we could find of the story and most probable author was Thomas S. Kepler. He wrote about a woman who realized fears were ruining her life. She began to keep track of what was worrying her and she found:

40% of the things she worried about were about things that would never happen.

30% of the things she worried about were about things that had already happened, water under the bridge.

12% of the things she worried about were about others’ opinion. When she thought about it, she realized that criticisms are often made by those that are jealous or insecure; therefore unjust criticism is a disguised compliment.

10% of the things she worried about were needless health worries, which made her health worse as she worried.

8% of the things she worried about were “legitimate,” since life has some real problems to meet.

If you consider the above as probable statistics, it would seem that only 8% of the things that you worry about are worth the worry. Next time you are worried about something, perform a check to see if the worry is in a category other then the 8% category and if it is, perhaps logic will help free you from the worry.

Will This Matter a Year from Now?

How much quality time do I spend worrying?

 

April 20, 2010

Are You Afraid of Dying ?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Courage, Death, Fear, Important question, Life, Time, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , |
[7] Comments 

Most people I know prefer to avoid the subject of their own mortality. I know , it’s not the most exciting subject, but I think it’s a mistake not to look at death straight in the face for what it really is. Why? Because if we would dare to look at death , most of us would change a lot of things that we are currently procrastinating about.

We have seen this happen many times: when someone gets diagnosed with an incurable disease, when they learn how much time they have left to live , they change a lot of things in their life.

Some of the people who went through this extreme experience said that it was the most intense, fulfilling genuine experience they ever had.

My question to you is: Why wait until you have no time left before making significant changes in your life?

 

April 19, 2010

Procrastination

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Choices, Failure, Fear, Life leadership, Procrastination, Success, Time, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , , , |
[2] Comments 

“Procrastination,the presence of mere intention, is the bane of humane existence.”

Unknown author

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

How many times in our lives did we say; we should be doing this or we should be doing that, and then nothing happens.

Why?

Is it a lack of determination?

Is it a lack of desire?

Is it a lack of persistence?

It could be, but what if it was something else?

What if it was because we think that we have all the time in the world? Do we really have so much time?

I’ll let you answer these questions for yourself. Have a great week.

 

April 16, 2010

A life of quiet desperation

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Complaining, Control, Courage, Failure, Fear, Illusion, Important question, Serenity, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”

Henry David Thoreau

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

If this is how you feel, there is still a chance to change it. It’s up to you.

Will you?

 

 

April 12, 2010

Wisdom from the King of Latte

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Fear, Risk | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
1 Comment 

“Life is a series of near misses. But a lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future.”

Howard Schultz

American entrepreneur, Chairman of Starbucks.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

In other words, how many times do we miss some incredible opportunities in life because we are so focused on ourselves? Take responsibility for what you want , what you need, what you dream about. Create your own opportunities by getting out of your comfort zone; meeting new people, going to new places, learning new skills and exploring unfamiliar territories.

When was the last time you took a risk?

When was the last time you did something you were afraid of?

 

 

April 9, 2010

Stay hungry , stay foolish

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Courage, Death, Decision, Fear, Here, Important question, Life, Life expectancy, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , |
1 Comment 

 I really enjoyed this clip and I’m sharing it with you.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

April 7, 2010

The fear of failure

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Death, Failure, Fear, Life, Risk, Success | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
[4] Comments 

One of the things that stands between us and our quality of life, is the underlying fear of death. From the moment we don’t fear death anymore, we don’t fear life either. When we get rid of the fear of dying, we get rid of a lot of others fears with it.

The moment that we become almost fearless, we can enjoy life to its fullest because of our willingness to take risks.

Isn’t it ironic that people who are ready to take on more risk are often the ones who are reaping the rewards? And even when they don’t get the big prize, they are having fun enjoying what they love the most, and that in itself is the reward; the satisfaction of a job well done.

My hope is that some young people understand this concept as early as possible. So much time and frustration could be avoided.

Yes but what if I fail? Try again.

And what if I fail again? Try again , and again, and again.

And what if my friends laugh at me? Ask yourself ; what risk are my so-called friends taking?

Did you take the time to identify YOUR fears of failure?

What are you ready to lose in order to gain something bigger or better?