Don’t Be Scared To Try Something New
In his memoir, Making It So, Patrick Stewart recalls a time when his father wanted him to try something new. Patrick Stewart didn’t know this and freaked out.
The year was 1945. Patrick Stewart’s father was a World War 2 veteran. The family was walking through a promenade in Blackpool, England.
His father asks Patrick to close his eyes and hold out his hands. Patrick did as he was asked. His father was excited to place a peach in the young boy’s hands.
However, Patrick had a visceral response. He felt the strange fuzz of the peach touch his boyish hand. Something didn’t feel right. He pulled his hands back and the peach smashed to the ground. His father was furious and struck him. This moment had haunted Patrick Stewart ever since.
The feeling of the new fruit in his hand scared Patrick. He didn’t know what it was. He didn’t realize the delectable taste of a peach. He didn’t know how good it was.
And he lost out on a new experience. He didn’t get to try something new until later on.
But we’re not going to be like that. We’re not going to be scared to try something new, even if it feels uncomfortable. We’ve got to be the first ones through to try something new.
Don’t Be Scared To Try Something New
Trying something new can be uncomfortable. Maybe even scary. Does this mean we don’t push through the fear to try a new experience?
Oh no! We must be willing to push past the feeling of being scared to get to the new experience.
New experiences change who we are, what we think, and how we interact with the world. Trying something new also allows for new inventions and innovations to enter the world.
I remember the first times I tried ice climbing and skydiving. Both of these events were scary to me. I had acrophobia.
What is acrophobia? It’s a fear of heights. To jump out of a plane at over 10,000 feet, that’s high! When I climbed my first frozen waterfall, the 60+ feet above the ground terrified me.
I was scared. But I did it anyway. Now, I’ve ice climbed hundreds of times. Each time, the fear and the scared feeling dissipate a little more. I find myself more comfortable with the scary situation.
The more you introduce yourself to the new things that scare you, the more comfortable you can become with them.
Don’t allow the fear of something new, of something uncomfortable, to stop you from trying it.
Why? Because you miss out on something great when you let fear stop you. Patrick Steward missed out on trying a delicious fruit for a period of time. I would have missed out on great adventures with new friends had I not decided to jump out of a perfectly good airplane or climb frozen waterfalls in Michigan.
When we push past our fears, we get to experience life-changing moments that will shape and transform us. What are you letting fear stop you from doing today?
Joseph Lalonde is the owner of JMLalonde.com. He shares leadership insights from movies, extreme sports, and life experiences.
