Are you afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of others? Do you fear saying or doing something stupid and ending up the laughing stock of the room? If so, don’t worry…you’re not alone. The fact of the matter is, most people are terrified at the prospect of humiliating themselves. Humiliation is, after all, an injury to our dignity; a jab at our ego.
Unfortunately, chasing a dream makes you extra susceptible to humiliations, both big and small, on a regular basis. Think about it, as you follow your dream you’re constantly learning, building, and growing. As such, you’re undoubtedly going to come across unfamiliar territory. The only way to get through it is by trial, error and asking questions.
A great approach to overcoming your fear of humiliation is to break your dream down into manageable tasks and goals. Work through them one at a time and, before you know it, you will have accomplished something you never thought possible. And I assure you, no one will be laughing.
And for those times when you do slip up, learn to laugh at yourself. After all, we’re all imperfectly human.
Ben Stiller on humiliation:
“I’m always willing to endure humiliation on behalf of my characters.”
Are you a dream chaser facing a particular fear? If so, I’d love to hear from you!
Please e-mail me at: erika (at) erikaliodice (dot) com
