Freedom Skate Day 8: Where Fear Ends

Sept. 13th, 2010

Monday was a very human day for me, because I woke up to very human concerns. I was worried about making a credit card payment and a school loan payment. I have this most nasty habit of rolling out of bed and immediately checking my email on my phone. That’s not a great idea for two reasons: 1) I’m usually in no state to do anything productive via. email right after opening my eyes, especially from a cell phone. 2) The paranoid state of needing to check my email right after waking up tells me that I need to adjust my mindset to one of a little greater faith. What do I mean? I mean that a more certain character would not hang on every email to decide whether his dreams will come true or not. He would know that his faith works before him, and all he needs to do is connect faith to great action every day.

A more certain character would see past all of the day to day ups and downs. It sounds crazy, because we are so used to intervening in our own lives. We feel as though the whole world (or at least our world) hangs in the balance based on every move we make. That’s rather egotistical. I assure you of this: whether Austin Szelkowski wakes up a hero, a loser, or a villain, the world will go on. Mothers will hustle to care for children while working two jobs. Companies will be bought and sold. People will live and people will die. The earth will spin on its axis, the sun will rise, and the sun will set. This might sound cynical, but its not; it is total acceptance of life and the universe. It’s the first step toward significance: acceptance of the insignificance of our own egos. The ego will tell you that you in your person are so important that you “must do this or that,” but it fails to tell you that the person is insignificant.

The action – that is what is supreme. Do not assume that a small ego can produce only small action. Actually, it can produce the greatest action. If we learn to remove concern for our own egos and simply focus on great action, we remove our reasons for being afraid. How many actions have you taken to protect your ego? My concerns about how I would make $50 a credit card payment came because I see myself as someone who never misses a credit card payment. Make no mistake: I’m not advocating irresponsibility. I’m simply advocating fearless advance. When I started worrying about the egocentric consequences of missing a credit card payment, I began retracting into a fear mindset. Instead of thinking of creative and bold action, I thought of “safe” ways to hold on to what I currently have. I should know better by now: Holding on to what we already have requires more energy than what we have is even worth. A wiser thought pattern focuses primarily on advances. This thought pattern is akin to the old saying, “The best defense is a good offense.” In life, I think that is usually true. In all avenues of life, business and personal, the bold are rewarded for their boldness. A bold man gains the love and respect of a woman, because he shows that he can build, connect, and create beyond himself. A bold business move enlists new support and creates greater influence, because we want to believe in people who believe in their own ideas.

What is the take home lesson here? Your fear is based in the assumption that you not only have a lot to lose, but also that you yourself are something to lose. You, like me, carry the weight of your ego everywhere you go. You don’t want that weight holding you down. Your fear is based on your ego. Learn to become less and achieve more. Chase the ideal of separating yourself completely from yourself so that you no longer “are” and simply “do.” The great German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche said it best:

“…But there is no such substratum; there is no ‘being’ behind doing, effecting, becoming; ‘the doer’ is merely a fiction added to the deed—the deed is everything.”

I’d like to thank Sandi Maki and Al Curtis from the Insights Group for some of the philosophy shared here. They would always tell you: “Follow your bliss, and your success and happiness will learn to follow you.” That’s a tall order. I challenge you to have the courage, creativity, and conviction to follow it. I challenge you to create your bliss into the world. I challenge you to create beyond yourself and beyond your ego.

– Austin (“The Freedom Skater”) out.