Helloo0O Ladies
and Gentlemen!
Welcome back to
Graceland Ontario for another week of learning from the
success lessons of the King of Rock 'n' Roll so as to better your life. Today,
we'll be returning to our Halloween series and entertaining the ever important
topic of fear.
So, to start
off, I have a story to tell you. It involves a friend of mine some time back.
And though I'm sure she will look less favourable through its telling, I can
assure you she is as good as any friend who's ever walked the straits of our
world. Funnily enough, you'll find my teenage friend and you probably have a lot in common.
When this event
occurred, my friend had recently broken up with a boyfriend she’d been close to
but life hadn't gone well with. In the short time she and him had been apart,
he continued to call her and attempt contact to possibly patch things up. She
didn't want to get back together with him but his attempts kept him in her doll
house. Around the same time, she'd met a fella at the college she was going to
who she liked. He had future prospects and listened better than her ex ever
had.
So, this night
we were together with some other friends at a party. Unfortunately, this girl had
drunk a bit more than she probably should have. In her stupor, she decided to
contact her new college friend. But however hard she tried, he didn't answer.
She continued attempting but his lack of reply made her feel worse. Then, she
started mulling over her ex and thinking about how bad things were − maybe she
should go back to him because he was obviously trying and this fella, though she
liked him more, wouldn't answer when she needed him. Of course, she was
overlooking one detail.
It was 3 o'clock in the morning.
Heck, his lack
of reply was probably brought about by bedtime. Or, at the very worst,
associating with other friends, giving them the respect they deserved at some
other party elsewhere − somewhere where he didn't have a phone or where it was turned off. Her fear of
his never getting back to her and being left were likely crass. Yet, her lack
of knowing still fanned fear within her, a fear that prevented her from acting. And that same fear stops perhaps billions of people from accomplishing what they want to do most.
Looking at
Elvis, this lack of knowledge likely scared him, too. I mean, he was a Rock
singer back in the fifties... man, that had to be the most unstable job in the
world! Think about it, besides the fickleness of fame in itself, he risked the
possibility of injury to either his voice or body (either one possibly
destroying his career). And then, to top it all off, he had all these reporters
asking him what would happen to the world if Rock 'n' Roll was a fad and it
disappeared as quickly as it appeared, effectively ending his career. He had a
lot to worry about.
But, did he?
Who knows. Yet, whether he had these fears or not, he didn't let them paralyze
him. He still recorded tracks - he even went into the army and surmounted a
comeback on his discharge. In fact, had he feared his chances of a continued
career, he might’ve procrastinated, not recorded those tracks, not tried the
comeback and never done anything again. His fear of losing could’ve stopped him
from acting, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where he did lose.
The difference,
the sole difference, between his actions and my friend’s were, despite the possibility
of truth in her college friend going off with other girls in her absence, Elvis
accepted the truth and kept moving. Whatever fear was there, this fear of the
unknown, he turned it into background noise and continued doing what he could -
making songs. A breakdown brought about by fear, like what happened in my friend’s
case, could have only worsened the situation. He and those around him made sure
they were never too absorbed by the possibility of disaster. Sure it's there,
but whether you fear it or not it can happen anyways. The only intelligent way
to handle fear is to acknowledge it and move on.
And this is
what you must do. At this time of year, people focus on ghouls and goblins (Green Goblin from Spiderman, anyone?),
fearing those creatures. But fear is not a once a year emotion - it can happen
anytime. And what scares us far more than any vampire is the possibility of
being fired, of losing our spouse, of sickness, of famine, of war, of foreclosure;
worries so far away yet so close to us all. And that gives us the shivers.
But despite the
unknown and your fear of it, you can only do what you can do. Accept it, and
move on. You're at a crossroads, you can either act like my friend − breakdown
on a couch over fear of something happening − or you can act like Elvis,
understand the fear, and then do everything you can to fight it. Only then will
you manage this spirit of the season; only then will be able to make progress
in all areas of your life.
Elvis's Lessons:
You can only do
what you can do; my friend, scared of the possibility she might be in this
world unloved, broke down on a couch over possibly nothing. Elvis on the other
hand, with an uncertain job and life ahead of him, managed to keep going. His
secret? Acknowledge your fears and keep moving. When you let your fears
paralyze you, you won't make any more progress and you’ll increase the likelihood
of your fears coming true. Moving on is the only way to fight your fear AND accomplish great acts. You're at the
crossroads, and it's your choice which way your walk.
See you next
week for more Graceland Ontario Halloween fun! Can't wait!!!
P.S. Remember to leave a comment... I'd love to
hear what you think about my work and also hear your experiences of Halloween, Elvis
or simply success. And, as an added bonus, you can guarantee I'll
reply to you - so keep to your best spelling!
P.P.S. If
you're interested in seeing Elvis singing ‘Johnny B Goode” in a rare video from
1975, here's a Youtube video of it. Cheers!
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