Fear of Sharks Can Get In the Way of A Great Swim

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Danny

Fear of Sharks Can Get In the Way of A Great Swim

I heard some people talking this past weekend about never swimming in the ocean because that’s where sharks live.  It was a funny conversation, but the lady talking was being sincere in expressing her fear.  She explained that if she never gets in the water she will never have to worry about getting eaten by a shark.  And I cannot argue with her logic.

But what about the coolness of the water on the skin?  What about experiencing the awesomeness of an afternoon swim?  Maybe a little belly surfing?  If her mind doesn’t change she will never be eaten by a shark, but she will also never experience the greatness of the water.

Listening to her talk got me to thinking about fear in general.  I wonder how many people think like this on other topics.  If I never try X, then I’ll never have to worry about Y.  I would have to guess that the number is quite high.

Fear rules many people’s lives.  They operate out of fear.  It dictates the terms of agreement in their life.  Fear decides what will happen and what will not happen.  Fear dictates a few things to me.  I will never skydive because if I don’t I will never hit the ground and die.  I will never bungee jump.  I’m sure there are more things that I will say “never” to doing.  My list expressly relates to extreme sports.

Fear can keep people from fixing broken relationships.  Fear can keep someone from experiencing the freedom of being debt free.  Fear can get in the way of someone earning their education certificate.  In the end fear does one thing…it gets in the way of everything.

If fear is getting in your way I offer one simple suggestion.   Think about the worst possible scenario and then ask yourself, “What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?”  You could get rejected.  So what?  You could get your feelings hurt.  So what?

But what if the worst case doesn’t happen?  Fear will rob you if you let it, so don’t let it.

Have a great Monday!

Danny

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35 thoughts on “Fear of Sharks Can Get In the Way of A Great Swim”

  2. My favorite thoughts on fear:

    LITANY AGAINST FEAR
    I must not fear.
    Fear is the mind-killer.
    Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
    I will face my fear.
    I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
    And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
    Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
    Only I will remain.

    Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear – From Frank Herbert’s Dune Book Series
    © 1965 and 1984 Frank Herbert
    Published by Putnam Pub Group
    ISBN: 0399128964

    And, from FDR, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” — and, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

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  4. I have Selachophobia (fear of sharks). I am deathly afraid of sharks. Silly me, learning to read early and then reading anything and everything I could. Seeing Jaws when I was 7 or 8 years old didn’t help. I totally agree with the woman you speak of. I don’t even like flying out of San Francisco, because we have to fly over the water. I leave out of Sacramento, if I have to fly. I’m good staying on dry land, where I was meant to be. I also don’t swim much in pools or lake either. I’m good with this and have no regrets. And it’s not just sharks…baracudas, rip tides, etc. all play a factor in loving being a land-dweller.

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  6. This post is very timely for me personally. My 5 year old has recently expressed he has fear of heights, airplanes, monorails, rides in general. He said he won’t go to Disney because he’s too scared of flying so high in the airplane. This is all new and I can’t help but wonder how his fears manifested so young.

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  13. Fear of heights is my thing but … I never stop the husband driving up that mountain road, I silently squeeze my eyes shut as tears escape from between the lashes and at the top I can’t look down … but I look across at beauty I would never have seen. The worse thing is knowing that fear is always about something that hasn’t even happened yet.
    Ie: incase I fall, incase I drown, incase a boogey man gets me. Fear is so stupid but so real.

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  15. Pingback: Chase Your Fears, Don’t Let Them Chase You – Life on the Sober Side

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