We all have things we’re afraid of that we aren’t aware of. And when they rise up they can be surprisingly scary, mostly because they take us by surprise.

We can’t stop the surprises from coming, but we can undo the damage they cause by using some simple mental jiu-jitsu once we do become aware of the fear.

Then it’s “Katy, bar the door!” when it comes to video…or anything else holding you back.

    7 replies to "On Misplaced Fear of the Camera"

    • Jeremy Latham

      ‘The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance’

      FDR. Cometh the moment. Lovely video Steve.

      • Steven Washer

        Thanks, Jeremy! I think we all need regular reminders about how fear operates.

    • Michelle

      Okay…maybe I got lost…are you saying that the process of avoiding road rage, which I do, by telling myself the story that all bad drivers could just be on their way to the hospital to see a loved one who’s about to die, to illicit my compassion instead, the same process as avoiding my fear of video by telling myself (insert story evoking joyful anticipation)? If so, why, when I try to think of a joyful anticipation story, my fear of video part won’t play along? Is road rage more gullible? What am I missing? Thanks. Oh and I flew somewhere for lunch once with a guy I blindly trusted and shouldn’t’ve, and it almost went horribly awry, so there’s a fear that might be hard to convince otherwise…you and the missus be careful out there.

      • Steven Washer

        I did not recommend thought as a technique for saving us from thought.
        More and more people are beginning to wake to the reality that life appears in the moments between thought and that we miss it because our thoughts are so incessantly present. This is why we cannot look at a real moment for more than a millisecond before yet another thought insists on making itself the star of existence. And since the thought isn’t real, it needs constant attention to make itself feel real and to convince you that you are it. And the addiction continues…
        Life is a constant parade of things that almost go awry. You can’t avoid that. You might as well love it.

    • Jay Overton

      Hi Steve. Great video as always. Timely and food for thought. I’m interested in digging deeper on this. I know you’re not trying to sell Guy Finely books, but can you share the book that gave you this insight?

      • Steven Washer

        This actually started from a live talk. However, the book I most like to recommend to those who aren’t familiar with his work is The Secret of Letting Go.

    • Vickie Wilder

      This is something that I completely relate to I feel I don’t have a good subject to make a video from, but then a friend told me 5 things I could make a video on. It’s a very encouraging video it encourages me to try harder to get past that fear thank you for making these videos.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.