What's the Worst That Can Happen?! Wednesday!

Grownups: Don't let fear hold ya back!'

Hiya, Friends!  Happy Wednesday to you! 

You know, I've been thinkin' a lot about how easy it is for you Big People to get stuck in a spot, just because you're afraid of things not working out right for ya, if ya try something new.  I want you to know I feel for ya, but I don't agree with letting things pass you by, just 'cause you're afraid of not being good at it right away.

I faced much the same thing, back when I was one year old, with learnin' how to walk.  I've seen grownups walk my whole life, and I even saw some Little Kids walking around while I rode in my stroller, but when it came time for me to take my first steps, I paused and thought 'What if I'm not good at this?  What if I fall on my hiney-butt?'

What if I DID fall on my hiney-butt, Friends?  Well, guess what!  I DID fall on my hiney-butt when I tried walking for the first time.  And the second, and the third... For a while there, whenever I got up on my own two feet to take a coupla steps, I could plan on those triumphal steps being followed by a fall on my hiney-butt.  And guess what!  I'm okay!  I didn't worry that it made me look like I didn't know how to use my feet (hey, I was just learnin'!), and I got up and kept trying.

There's a bit of a process to this, Friends. When I first started learning to walk, and experienced that anxiety, I sat down with myself and identified what the worst that could happen was.  Well, I suppose the WORST that could happen while I was learning how to walk would be that a spaceship of mean aliens comes and picks me up.  Or that a giant sink-hole opens in the ground, right in front of me, and I fall the heck in and break all the bones in my body.  Scary stuff!

Scary, but are those things LIKELY to happen?  No. Especially not the one with the space aliens.  And Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me practice walking anywheres near where a sinkhole could open up!  So that wasn't very likely to happen, either!

Just like that, the *worst* that could happen was pouffed away!

So then, I went to the second tier of what the bad things were that could happen.  I could fall down stairs- but Mommy and Daddy never would let me practice walking near the toppa stairs for me to fall down.  I could fall on my hiney-butt and bite my tongue!  I could fall on my bottom and embarrass myself! 

Were those things bad enough to keep me from tryin' out the walking?  Well, I wouldn't like to bite my tongue if I fell while I was walkin', but that's easy.  I can do something to prevent that kind of thing: I just keep my tongue away from my teeth when I walk, so if I fall down, I probably won't bite my tongue!  As for embarrassing myself, well, yes, that could very well happen, but apart from a red face and a bruised ego, I'd be okay- wearin' a pouffy diaper sure helps cushion a hiney-butt in a tumble!  And when you're wearin' a diaper anyways, you can't letchyer ego be so sensitive. 

Be okay with laughin' with yourself, in other words!

Finally, I had to stop and think about any downsides that would come with learning how to walk, and weigh them against the benefits.  I guess you could say a downside to learnin' to walk would be that I'd hafta start walkin' everywhere.  Was that enough to keep me from learning to walk?

Friends, no.  No, Sweetie. 

So I stood up, put one foot in front of the other, then the other foot in front of the first, walked across a room, and I haven't looked back since!  I can't even imagine what I'd be doing right now if I'd been afraid to take that first step!

What's the Worst that can happen?

That's why you can't let fear hold you back, either, Big People!  Follow my steps (haha!) and first, ask yourself what the WORST that can happen is.  Is it likely to happen?  Okay, what are some really bad things that can happen?  Is there anything you can do to prevent those from happening (besides not doing the thing you're thinking about doing but are too afraid!)  What are the sorta bad things that could, and maybe could likely happen if you try- such as what if ya make a fool of yourself, et cetera- are they enough to discourage you from trying?  Finally, what are the downsides of you following through with this thing you're currently thinking about doing?  Can you live with those?  Are they really all that bad?

Now, take a deep breath and try this new thing!  Go for it, Friends!   I'm cheerin' for ya!  You bet I am!  And I love ya!  A whole lot! 

I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!