Inspired

I was always rightfully taught that our fears were at the apex when we had to speak publicly. I have, through experience, been conditioned to disagree.

I really think our fear is at it's greatest when we attempt to learn a new task. Think about it....a trembling fear comes across our neck when we are accosted by change. There is something beautiful about our "comfort zone". Here we are, "experts" at what we do. Now, we have chosen or are forced to remove ourselves from this! "I hate this", "the new boss is making us do this!" "Muther fucker has no idea what change is good". I have been there many times, as many of you have been.

I am confronting this ultimate fear as I write this. I am inspired by my Brother. After he had graduated from Indiana University with a Philosophy degree, he decided to go to Nursing school. Half-way through, he called me saying he had this horrible, bitch-of-a-professor. She was going to inspire him to quit his dream. I remember the call...I remember trying my hardest to inspire him to get through this one class. I said, "you are the one person in our family that is working toward a skill". "There are a lot of classes you will excel in after this". "Please don't hold up your whole dream on this one professor". He actually listened to me and grinded it out. Now he is a successfull LPN with a job that he is passionate about. He would not admit this, but his anectdotes prove that he is passionate.

I guess what I am trying to say is: the most intense fear in the human experience is learning something new. It sounds ridiculous, but think about it....when you have to learn something new at work or in life, to become inspired, you have to pin your ears back and attack without any ego. It is very hard. The crazy thing is, when you become a baby again while learning this new task, you feel embarrasment, but after you succeed, you have the highest sense of self. That is what makes us feel alive.

Obviously, in the small amount of time I have been in this humbling position of hind-quarter breaker at Stafford's Custom Meats in La Grande, OR, I have had this epiphany many times. I felt that it was worth writing about. After seeing what my Brother went through, and his friend Alison who quit her job as a Social advocate to follow her dream as a stylist, it became easier to follow my dreams. This post is written with all dreams in tact. Here's to you Todd Brown:
Please check out the Teddy Rossevelt quote at this link:http://artofmanliness.com/2009/02/28/manvotional-the-man-in-the-arena-by-theodore-roosevelt/