Whether In Life Or Sports, Don't Let Fear Be A Thief
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Roger Grossman, Lake City Radio-
It's a song by Josh Gray titled "There's No Thief Like Fear."
Its basic message is that fear robs you of some of the greatest moments and experiences in your life – so don't let it.
That's been the sports topic this week: should basketball players assume the risk of injury to play for our national team in the hoops equivalent to the World Cup?
The Pacers' Paul George was trying to make that team last weekend, and when he was running toward the end of the court he ran into the basket support and his leg broke and, well, it was, uh, not pretty.
Surgery put everything back inside where it belongs and back together, but recovery will be at least nine months. By my Argos math, that puts him on the shelf until at least May – the middle of the NBA playoffs – which may be irrelevant to the Pacers without him.
So then it started up: “His responsibility is to the people writing his paychecks, NBA players have no business playing outside the league, the Pacers should get a refund.”
It's fear. Fear of what MIGHT happen. Fear of the unknown.
And fear is a thief.
You have things you are afraid of, me too. People who say they aren't afraid of anything are simply afraid of being afraid. Fear of heights, fear of the water, fear of dogs, you know what I mean.
But people, we can't live our lives in fear. If you do, the fear you have dictates the terms of your life. Where you go, what you do, when you do things.
You can't live your life like that.
Sure, we have things that should make us take notice – an open fire, when the tornado siren goes off, when you hear a car horn. My wife and I are training our daughter Hannah what to do when those things happen.
But if you live your life in fear you will undoubtedly miss out on a chance to do something special.
For example, if your phone rings and it's the head of a company who would like to interview you in Denver tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. for your “dream job” ... but you are afraid to fly ... then what? Are you really going to pass up that chance because of your fear? A lot of people would, but I hope you wouldn't.
Another common one is a fear of failure, and we ALL have this one to a certain extent. Some people have it and drown in it, others use it as their motivation.
Fear also plays out in football. Up by a touchdown, 3:00 left, opponent has the ball at their 25-yard line with no timeouts left ... and you go into the dreaded prevent defense. It's a strategy geared to not let the other team throw a deep pass for a touchdown, but will gladly give you short passes instead. It's fear! Fear of giving up a bad score late. When in reality, the prevent defense almost always gives up a tying or go-ahead score and really just prevents you from winning.
If you live your life in fear you put up walls that are not there and you create barriers that do not exist except in your own mind.
Life rarely comes to you. You have to go get it. And it means you may fall or fail and the measure of you will be what happens next – stay down or jump back up.
So should George and the others in the NBA play in the Olympics and the World Cup of Basketball? Sure, why not. He could just as easily have slipped in his fishing boat and done the same thing, or been hit by a car on Delaware Street in downtown Indy, or got hurt during a pickup game in his old stomping grounds.
Fear IS a thief.
Don't let it win.[[In-content Ad]]
It's a song by Josh Gray titled "There's No Thief Like Fear."
Its basic message is that fear robs you of some of the greatest moments and experiences in your life – so don't let it.
That's been the sports topic this week: should basketball players assume the risk of injury to play for our national team in the hoops equivalent to the World Cup?
The Pacers' Paul George was trying to make that team last weekend, and when he was running toward the end of the court he ran into the basket support and his leg broke and, well, it was, uh, not pretty.
Surgery put everything back inside where it belongs and back together, but recovery will be at least nine months. By my Argos math, that puts him on the shelf until at least May – the middle of the NBA playoffs – which may be irrelevant to the Pacers without him.
So then it started up: “His responsibility is to the people writing his paychecks, NBA players have no business playing outside the league, the Pacers should get a refund.”
It's fear. Fear of what MIGHT happen. Fear of the unknown.
And fear is a thief.
You have things you are afraid of, me too. People who say they aren't afraid of anything are simply afraid of being afraid. Fear of heights, fear of the water, fear of dogs, you know what I mean.
But people, we can't live our lives in fear. If you do, the fear you have dictates the terms of your life. Where you go, what you do, when you do things.
You can't live your life like that.
Sure, we have things that should make us take notice – an open fire, when the tornado siren goes off, when you hear a car horn. My wife and I are training our daughter Hannah what to do when those things happen.
But if you live your life in fear you will undoubtedly miss out on a chance to do something special.
For example, if your phone rings and it's the head of a company who would like to interview you in Denver tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. for your “dream job” ... but you are afraid to fly ... then what? Are you really going to pass up that chance because of your fear? A lot of people would, but I hope you wouldn't.
Another common one is a fear of failure, and we ALL have this one to a certain extent. Some people have it and drown in it, others use it as their motivation.
Fear also plays out in football. Up by a touchdown, 3:00 left, opponent has the ball at their 25-yard line with no timeouts left ... and you go into the dreaded prevent defense. It's a strategy geared to not let the other team throw a deep pass for a touchdown, but will gladly give you short passes instead. It's fear! Fear of giving up a bad score late. When in reality, the prevent defense almost always gives up a tying or go-ahead score and really just prevents you from winning.
If you live your life in fear you put up walls that are not there and you create barriers that do not exist except in your own mind.
Life rarely comes to you. You have to go get it. And it means you may fall or fail and the measure of you will be what happens next – stay down or jump back up.
So should George and the others in the NBA play in the Olympics and the World Cup of Basketball? Sure, why not. He could just as easily have slipped in his fishing boat and done the same thing, or been hit by a car on Delaware Street in downtown Indy, or got hurt during a pickup game in his old stomping grounds.
Fear IS a thief.
Don't let it win.[[In-content Ad]]
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