At any given time in life, there are two places you can be ... either "in the game" or on the sidelines. And there are two roles you can play ... the active, risk-taking role of the participant or the more passive, withdrawn role of the observer / analyst / commentator / critic.
I'm not saying that you always have to be in the game. There are a lot of things that can knock you out of the action for a while, and everybody needs a little rest and time to consolidate periodically. But, as the old saying goes, "you gotta be in it to win it." I mean, can you even imagine an athlete achieving greatness who doesn't stay in the game and get plenty of what athletes call "playing time?" Probably not.
When serious athletes get knocked out of the action, it's usually because of injury. They rarely take themselves out of "the game."
So what keeps us out of the game?
Fear? Sure.
Fear is a powerful demotivator. It keeps a whole lot of people on the sidelines, because they think the fear means STOP! It doesn't. As Denise wrote in this newsletter a couple of years ago, sometimes you have to acknowledge the fear and do what you're called to do anyway. Sometimes, you have to "do it afraid."
If you want to be in the game, you have to "be a yes" to opportunities, even when they make you uncomfortable or just plain scare you. Feeling some trepidation is a natural part of playing big. It comes with the territory. It's a given. Virtually everybody experiences it.
I know I sure did when I decided to enter my first figure competition. Talk about doing something afraid! I was really unsettled, but what I realized is that those who proceed in the face of fear stay in the game. They maximize their playing time and have a shot at genuine fulfillment and even greatness.
Fear is an emotion that rises within us almost automatically whenever we step outside the comfort zone of being an observer. But what about all the other emotions that keep us on the sidelines? How much energy do you give to them? How much playing time do you lose to them?
There's an old song by a Motown group called Rare Earth called I Just Want To Celebrate. It's been stuck in my head recently, because some company is using it in its TV advertising and it happened to play on a show I was watching. As I sang it to myself, I started to pay attention to the words. These stuck out.
Well, I can't be bothered with sorrow
And I can't be bothered with hate, no, no
I'm using up my time by feeling fine, every day
That's why I'm telling you I just want to celebrate,
yeah yeah
Another day of living
I just want to celebrate another day of life
Don't let it all get you down, no, no
Don't let it turn you around and around,
And around and around
This is a song about being in the game, even if the game is simply enjoying life to the fullest.
When you can't be bothered with sorrow and you can't be bothered with hate ... or anger ... or envy ... or regret over what should have been ... you're present and powerful and ready to be in the game pretty much all the time.
And that's where real "happiness" comes from.
So, release all those negative emotions. Quiet all the chatter and be a Yes to life.
After all, none of us knows how much playing time we're going to get and what we can do with it unless we actually get in the game.
Regards,
Barbara
