Furry little rodents have seen their shadow, and I'm told I now have to wait six more weeks 'til Spring. In Pennsylvania, internationally famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, drew back in horror at the sight of his looming shadow, as did Ontario's own albino groundhog, Wiarton Willie. They could have toughed it out!
The truth is, I too, am afraid of my own shadow. Metaphorically. The larger than life person that I know is in me, scares me. It takes all I have to put myself out there in the business world. I know that I am not alone. Success scares a lot of people.
Psychologists who work with men and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), say the physiological reaction to the excitement of growing success, is the same as the reaction to stress. Each time I click "publish" on my blog, or, "send" a post on a new clothing design, I feel that double edged excitement. The moment when I say all in the same breath, "look what I did!", and "what have I done?!"
For some, there's the fear of being unmasked as an imposter, who's been faking it all along. I photograph flowers. How can I take credit for their great beauty? Mother Nature, and my Canon Rebel do all the work! Yet, when I study the body of my work, I clearly see that I capture the soul of each flower.
Performers - musicians, actors, public speakers - know this next insidious fear: being successful means being in the spotlight, and being in the spotlight makes you a target for rotten tomatoes! That's a very real unrealistic fear! Most of my career was spent in broadcasting, as a News Editor and Announcer, yet, public speaking terrifies me.
Being on-line means strangers critique my work. Having a successful blog, and on-line shops, means even more strangers critique my work. Chefs and actors may dread bad reviews - they dread empty seats even more. Criticism is rough, being ignored is worse.
Then there's the fear of turning bad. If you have success confused with being an obnoxious, greedy jerk, then you may not want to be successful. If you think the only route to success is by being cutthroat with the competition, again, you may not want to be successful.
It's enough to make a little groundhog stay in its burrow, and never come out! My burrow has been a safe place for me, and now I need to get out into the great big world. At the start of the new year, I finally, timidly created a profile on LinkedIn.
I'm not afraid of my shadow, I repeat to myself. I'm not afraid of my shadow! I'm declaring it Spring, the season of rebirth, rejuvenation, and new beginnings!
http://bit.do/AOWbodycon
http://bit.do/drapedkimono
LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-adams-806804157/
Photographs copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.
Congratulations on reaching another great milestone!
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