I Haven't Pontificated Lately. Here Goes . . .

Fear of something bad happening in the future is one of the things that separates humans from animals. Animals feel fear when faced with an immediate danger or a belief/sense of immediate danger. But only people have the incredible ability to fear something 1) that isn't happening now, 2) that they believe could possibly happen sometime in the future, 3) even though it isn’t even likely to happen, 4) and that most likely will never happen.

Of course there is a purpose to fear. A healthy dose of fear will keep you out of some hairy situations (I'm hoping Bryce develops a little fear soon, our neighbor is running out of surgical glue). But more often than not, it seems as if fears are unnecessary, unfounded, and serve no purpose other than holding people back from achieving their potential.

Maybe there is a way to feel fear and acknowledge it, but then move forward without allowing it to control your actions. What do you think the odds of something happening should be before the fear of that thing changes your life?

If I jump off a building, I will get 100% hurt -- therefore, I have made a policy decision not to jump off of buildings.

If I jump off a rock formation on the side of a river, maybe there is a 10% chance of injury -- If it looks like a normal rock formation, I may or may not jump. If it is a super cool rock formation that provides a photo opportunity and a good story, I'll give that a shot any day.

I guess everyone has their own level of risk they are comfortable with. But I would hate to miss out on a good story or a photo opportunity just because there is a slim chance of something going wrong. Most things worth doing, actually, include a certain amount of risk. Life without risk, or fear, would be pretty boring.

*** Last night I did a 1:30 bike trainer workout -- 30 min. warm up, 6X4/2 intervals, and 25 minute cool down.

This morning I swam (mostly drills), and plan to do a short run tonight in preparation for my Double Decker festivities tomorrow.