A Deep Dive into: Fear [pt.9] – The fear of looking stupid to others

What’s one of the things that underlies many of our most common fears?

What’s another?

They often are unsubstantiated and often don’t actually happen.

And the same goes for worrying that if you speak up, ask question that some might think is ‘stupid’, or do something wrong you’ll look stupid.

Firstly, someone’s opinion of you is exactly that: theirs. It has absolutely 0.00000000% possibility of jumping out of their brain, becoming some Metamorphosized Super Beast Thought and either physically hurting you or going into your brain and affecting your emotions.

Secondly, the wisest and most self-aware, conscientious and virtuous people all have one thing in common –they admit how little (if anything) they know. The Dalai Llama, Socrates, Confucius, Rene Descartes, Epictetus, Henry David Thoreau all had one thing in common: they admitted they did not know shit.

Thirdly, if you speak up and ask a question or make a statement that you’re thinking, it may be what 1,2 or 0 other people are wondering, it may help others to understand the situation (or themselves) better, and you may even be a sort of psuedo-hero to the others. They may be inspired by you saying Fuck Fear and being curious.

There is no fear of looking stupid. There is only learning.