pimpslaps and popsicles... a study in fear

Does anyone else compare?  As in, do you compare your talents to someone else's?  Your Walk to someone else's?  Your abilities at work, your grades at school, your waistline to someone thinner, your muscles to someone's bigger, your tummy to someone's six pack?  I do.

I posted this on Facebook this morning, and its one of those things I'm glad I wrote because I feel like people understand it... they get it... they know what I mean.

I compare myself to everyone.  When I log onto the Facebook and get all Facebooky, I scroll and read the posts by other people involved in the Experiment Formerly Known as START (its my online community of choice) and I read all sorts of successes, milestones and even funny comments I wish I had made.

I don't know about you, but I don't like being used.  I would imagine you don't either... so you need to know that Fear uses you.  That's right, Fear takes your talents, abilities and awesomeness and tosses them in my face...

Fear begins to then tell me things like... 

• "You'll never be as good as ______"
• "You will never be as talented as ______" 
• "Look how much they love _______, you'll never get that kind of adoration"
•  "_______ is real with their life and fears and struggles. You come off as fake. Just don't say anything."
•  "Its OKAY to compare yourself. You don't match up with ______. Just keep it realz, yo."
• "You typed this into Facebook earlier.  You put this on your blog too, and people will think you are just full of yourself.  So play it SAFE, and let it go."

Fear likes to tell people that "You can't..."  Personally, Fear doesn't tell me that "I can't..."  Fear actually tells me the worst thing of all:

"Oh, sure, you could... but why would you.  No one cares, and you don't matter." 

 

Have you felt like this?  Especially recently?  Fear is a jerk.  Fear will tell you things, use other people's voices to lie to you and make you feel like anything you do won't be enough.  You aren't enough.  You'll never be enough.

 

And that's when you have to come to your senses.  You can.  And you should.  You are enough.  Your awesome.  I may not even know you, dear Coffee Drinker, but you are awesome... I mean, you are reading this, right?  Right! 

 

Here's the thing about Fear... Fear has never led me in the right direction.  

 

It's made me be safe when I needed to step. 

 

It's led me to be quiet when I needed to speak up. 



Keep talking, Fear.  I have a Buttermilk  Popsicle
waiting for me...

It's led me to try and rely on ME when I should be relying on HIM (HIM as in God, not Fear)....

 

Fear is that crazy old drunk Uncle at a party who says he is looking out for you, but every piece of advice that comes out its mouth will lead you to destruction (and possibly a court date)... Fear is the bad friend who was never a good friend but you still end up wanting to listen to, even though he's bad news.  Fear is only as strong as you make it...

 

FEAR ONLY HAS THE CREDIBILITY YOU GIVE IT.

 

(hmmm... that's pretty good... I need to write that down... give me a minute... *grabs pencil and post-it*... fear... only has the... cred... ibil... aty... *scratches out 'aty'*... ity... you give... it...)

 

Here's what I like to say... and when I say, "Here's what I like to say", I mean I'll start saying this now because I think its good...

 

I'll simply look at Fear, and say, "Fear, you can suck it. I'm going to say something encouraging and funny. If it works, great, if not, that's okay too. Then, I'm going to eat a popsicle. Cause I want to"

 

Then I pimp slaps Fear, walk away, leaving Fear holding its reddened cheek as I mutter "...Jack wagon..." under my breath, taking a nibble off of my Steel City Pop.

 

So thank you for allowing me to chime in, pimp slap Fear and eat a popsicle.

 

What about you?  Have you faced Fear, pimpslapped it and called it a less than civil name?  What is your treat of choice after a good Fear pimpslapping?