I am writing an important work. While it's just data and speculations, it's fine, I can create thousands of pages full of them, but when it comes to a really serious analysis, I am paralyzed. I explain it by fear to take responsibility for my own thoughts and opinions, but this understanding doesn't help. Maybe someone knows what one can concretely do to overcome this fear? I don't accept answers of "Just do it!" type. I am a grown-up and had millions of chances to see that "just do it!" tactics does not take you anywhere, it just causes an even bigger feeling of guilt than before...
2006-07-19 06:50:10 · 2 answers · asked by Z 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
I have many of the same fears. I have been to see therapists and counsellors and have been prescribed more pills than I can count. But what helps me take "a stand" in life these days is that I focus on being helpful to others.
People at work and in my circle of friends and family NEED me to be definite (even if I am wrong) because it helps them live easier. I still don't feel as thought I "have a right" to putting my foot down and being expository, but I do it because that's what the *role* of my life requires.
Can you do the serious analysis in your paper and draw conclusions because it's about your role (and not about YOU)? You have those who need to be consumers of your work, and their lives would be impacted if you didn't come to the work.
Can you serve your role? Just YOU were picked (by chance or by God or by people) to serve in that role. So you might as well show up for it.
The greatest gift I've learned is that, right or wrong, here I am - and I am placed here to serve these roles and functions. Can I show up at the right place at the right time? Sure, my fear will allow me to do that. Can I do the next indicated thing to fulfill my role to help someone's life? Sure! My fear doesn't have any problem with that either.
Where I get confused is when I make my work and my declarations and my opinions, etc. about MY value.
My value isn't in dispute here. My believe is that God has my value in his bank already. I don't need to prove anything. All I need to do is to show up for my "job" and do the next indicated thing in order to serve. At once, fear is greatly lessoned.
By the way, forget "Just Do It" or "Snap out of it" or any of that ego heroic bullshit. It just makes you feel worse.
2006-07-19 07:26:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What, specifically, do you fear of taking responsibility for your own thoughts and opinions? What would happen if you did take responsibility for your thoughts and opinions? Isn't it impossible to avoid such responsibility anyway since these same thoughts and opinions are going to shape the course and events of your life?
Maybe a good place to start would be thinking better thoughts, having better reflections, maybe get a feel for reality? Isn't your fear of creating a serious analysis based on the speculation that you don't know what your talking about? Or maybe it's just that you don't know how to manipulate the data and facts to prove the importance of your work?
What generalizations are behind your fear? What stops you from being free to create a really serious analysis? Analyze yourself.
2006-07-19 07:07:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋