What Are You Afraid Of?

{Header image courtesy Pixabay and used under a Creative Commons Public Domain license.}

Theatrefolk’s blog has a short entry on “What are you afraid of?”, which is a referrer of Seth Godin’s “Check In, Chicken” post (for those of you who don’t know Seth Godin, one of the best resources out there for marketing and businesses), it suggests asking people involved in a show to reveal what they’re afraid of.

Having just finished stage managing Shakespeare in the Parking Lot IV: Much Ado About Nothing, it made me reflect back to some of the fears I had during that show.

While I had the same fears everyone has — that the show won’t be any good and that somehow people won’t like me as a result — the biggest fear I had came down to communication.

As someone who wants to make a living as a writer, I am petrified of being misunderstood — and it’s so easy to have that happen, no matter what medium used. I’ve had miscommunications happen with written communication and verbal — and sometimes both with the same person (on the same topic).

While I want to have fun doing a show, at the same time I want to make sure the production is the best it can be. And so I typically am ‘all business’ when I’m at rehearsal when I’m a techie. If you want to be buddies with me, talk with me after rehearsal. That, combined with the fact that I’m naturally introverted (having learned to be extroverted to get by), makes some people who don’t know me well think I’m standoffish or even arrogant (especially if I’m trying to prove myself to someone that I know what I’m talking about).

When I was younger, it used to bother me a lot. As I got older, it still bothers me, but I’ve learned to say, as Jill Sobule sings so succinctly, “I’ve got nothing to prove.” (In fact, that’s become my anthem since I’ve heard it.)

So, what are you afraid of? Feel free to comment on this post.