This week I had a conversation with my friend Henry who has been an inspiring and supportive friend since our kindergarten years. So this article is the result of that entertaining conversation we had. 

 

I have admired many people including my grandparents, my parents, family members, business associates and key strangers that have been essential in my search for knowledge.

 

There are more than a million examples I could give of the valuable lessons I have learned in the presence of these amazing individuals; however this time I will write a little something about Fear versus Fact.

 

This was the topic we discussed this week as a reminder to one another that we only fear what has somehow kept unknown to us.

 

The biggest fears I have while being in the forests in Yucatan Mexico are the many animals, insects, and venomous plants that I have never seen. Within reason I think most of us would fear such things if we were just dropped in a completely unknown wild area.

 

Despite my extensive knowledge of this part of the world, I recognize that I still have much to learn, since it was only last week that I picked up a beautiful frog and I brought it close to my face to examine it. Of course I was very comfortable doing this since my guide assure me that this particular specie was not a venomous one.

 

I wondered if I would have been so comfortable if I would have been exploring on my own. Knowing myself very well, I would have probably encountered that one specie that happens to be venomous among a thousand others and I would have had to spend an afternoon at a clinic getting some small treatment.

 

I know this is not the right way to learn but I have a terrible past record of learning the hard way. I don't recommend this to anyone.

 

Today I have become a little more mature, and I don't do any explorations as I used to when I was much younger. So I have learned that it is more appropriate to learn from those more knowledgeable than myself. This is a safer, easier and less painful way of learning and I do recommend this to everyone.

 

My friend and I have seen each other grow up and take very dangerous steps while trying to explore the world around us. In fact, we have both taken similar courses to learn how to beat our fears.

 

My first experience dealing with one of my biggest fears was to achieve all my training to understand the ocean. That is right… the Ocean. I feared the big blue Ocean when I was little. I would stand at the beach observing this immense body of water and I felt my heart in the tips of my fingers.

 

Eventually I used this fear to fuel my desire to learn, so my first step to understand the water was to learn how to swim. By the time we turned 9 years old we could swim the mile easily along the coast from buoy to buoy.

 

We often would have races to see who could reach the buoy in front of our docks and back. I was never the fastest but I began to feel so happy with myself that I was starting to feel so comfortable with the Ocean.

 

We started taking junior scuba diving classes at our local dive centre and by the time we had turned 18 years old we had received our Dive Master's Certificates.

 

I remember the first time I joined the scuba team and on my first dive all I could hear underwater was the sound of my own heart beating. I was the first to surface from a short 30 foot dive though I spent my air way too quickly. As you can imagine I was breathing too fast and I think I almost hyperventilated.

 

Today I lost count of how many dives I actually have under my belt though I stopped documenting after my first 1,000 dives.

 

My friends and I started also taking sailing lessons from the local community centre, and we worked in various jobs in order to save money to pay for these courses. By the time we were in High School our knowledge of Sailing, Wake Boarding, Scuba Diving, Surfing and Lifeguarding had totally become our way of life. 

 

Nobody could have imagined that the same child that once stood at the ocean shore with fear in his eyes, would then look at it with such appreciation one day.

 

Even though I have learned so many Facts about the dangers of the Ocean and I have also learned its rules, I cannot say for certain that I have lost Fear. In fact, everything that I have learned to this day has served me to take on adventures within the parameters of my knowledge, thus preventing dangers from spoiling my ultimate fun.

 

Surely when I play by the rules, I am much more comfortable facing my fears. The facts which I have learned and confirmed have also made me far more adventurous. As you can see this has also taken many years within the learning curve.

 

As my friend Henry and I discussed this transitional pattern in our lives, we also realized that everything else in our lives has these same exact rules. We can certainly relate to those obvious parts in our lives that have had a great impact on us. However this also applies to every little thing in life.

 

Since most of us have fears about the basics things in life such as parenting, relationships, business, career, interests and personal challenges; then it only makes sense that we should accept that we need to learn the facts and rules that apply to each one of those areas.

 

Perhaps we would then feel more comfortable when we are all of a sudden faced with such situations in life.

 

Learning the facts about the things we fear do not eliminate the fear, instead we simply acquire the knowledge needed to enjoy our lives fully.

 

It is quite normal to have fear; it just doesn’t have to always be a painful experience.