What Are You Afraid Of?

Today's Marketing Cookie is about your greatest fear.

I've observed that the traits that bother me most in other people are the same ones I dislike about myself. As my fickle finger rises to point out such flaws in the lives of others, I often fail to acknowledge identical practices in my own life. We can be honest here because, after all, this is a blog, right? I admit that I have countless flaws that I seem determined to hold on to, such as being stubborn and unwilling to be moved from my beliefs. I've been known to pout, but only when I don't get my way. I am single-minded, and at my worst, I'm even close-minded. The worst of all these disgusting weaknesses is my intolerance for unproductive laziness.

Ironically, these weaknesses are also often admired as my greatest strengths. At my worst, I may be stubborn, but at my best, I am confident. At my worst, I may sit in the corner and pout, but at my best, I am determined to succeed. At my worst, I may be close-minded, but at my best, I am willing to do my homework and fight for what I believe. At my worst, I despise laziness, but at my best, I am driven to accomplish the impossible. Learning to harness my weaknesses and convert them into my greatest strengths is not the hardest part of being at my best.

No.

The hardest part of being at my best is avoiding the temptation to compare my strengths with the weakness of others. Oh, how tempting! When comparing my strengths with the weaknesses of others, I am most certain to win, and winning is so much fun! I never feel the need to consider the many places where I fall short—when there's just so many more obvious things to point out in other people. It makes my neck turn red when I hear Presidential candidates bashing the intentions, credibility, and accomplishments of their opponents, and this is only because I loathe the times when I do the same.

While pointing out the weaknesses of others is what I hate the most, being unwilling to listen to others is what I fear. I've noticed that when I encounter someone with beliefs unlike my own, my defenses come up around me like a bunker with impenetrable walls of stone, ten feet thick and one hundred feet tall. I batten the hatches, don my armor, and prepare my "weapons of mass discussion." No one shall get in! When I hear them say something disagreeable, the little hairs on my neck stand at attention, and my innards begin to churn and prepare for battle. I become determined to defend my position and keep the enemy from trying to infiltrate the walls. No one shall be allowed to mess around with my beliefs.

What am I so afraid of?

Somewhere along the way, I've formed my beliefs. Those beliefs became the foundation upon which my principles and values are built. The result is who I am and who I chose to become. Everything I have done throughout my life is built on this foundation. Listening to other perspectives and beliefs could potentially create a crack in my foundation and put the entire house at risk of collapsing. Staying in my house has served me well and it "feels" safe. The risk in clinging to safety, however, is that I will stifle my ability to grow... and being unwilling to listen and grow is my greatest fear.