Tuesday; December 12

Last weekend I participated in a fundraiser that was both fun and meaningful – the St. Mary’s Splash for Special Olympics.  Several dozen of us lined up on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay and “splashed” into the water for a good cause.  Now, the reason I bring this up is because the event reinforced a principle that has been played out time and time again – self-talk can make or break us.  I was pretty cavalier when I signed up to take the plunge several weeks ago, but the closer the event came the more I began to doubt my decision.  Logically, I knew I could do it and would be just fine, but emotionally I started to cast doubt on the event.  I concerned myself with how cold the air would be and how chilly the water was.  I fretted about having to stand around in a swimsuit waiting on the go-ahead, then having to leave the water and face the wind chill all wet and shivering.  Folks, the honest truth is that it wasn’t all that bad.  Yeah, it was cold, but so what!
Do we spend too much time worrying about stuff?  Do we suck the life out of things that might be fun, exhilarating or exciting just because we are worried that we might be uncomfortable or inconvenienced?  Do we have great intentions (and expectations) until we start to think about all the things that “might” go wrong?
Sure, there are occasions when discretion should guide us, but there are many more times when expanding our comfort zones can open us up to something incredible.  Let’s not allow our preconceived negative self-talk deter us from venturing out in doing things that might stretch us as people or broaden the impact we can have on the world around us. 
Think About It!

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