Whistling In The Dark
I’m having a wonderful time but I’d rather be whistling in the dark
– They Might Be Giants
In the face of something truly daunting, sometimes whistling in the dark is the only way to keep moving forward. To pretend that we’re not facing the impossible or at least the improbable. To project that the challenge we face is, in fact, no challenge at all.
When will we be ready to take action? When we are ready. For an impatient person, ready doesn’t often come as quickly as the desire for change. (whistling)
When will you be ready to speak your truth? Present your idea? Drop the habit?
Looking in the rearview, we can see the direct route we took to achieve a goal. Like following the line of a maze back from the finish to the start. The path is obvious. Clear.
Moving forward there were decision points. Maybe some delays and detours. Ideas that didn’t pan out or work the way they were expected to. People who didn’t follow through.
Sometimes those delays are created by external forces. Like a roadblock or detour on the highway.
And sometimes…it’s just fear.
Fear of… Fear that…
What follows the word fear can illuminate our path. Working backwards from a fear statement is very like working backwards in a maze. It can be the most direct route to the solution. Also, sometimes I’m afraid is disguised as I can’t.
Each time we act, we prove that the fear was just a dark story that we told ourselves. We fortify ourselves with action. We model fearlessness or courage to others. And sometimes we just whistle a little to get us through the dark.
