The Importance of Not taking it all so seriously

Weekly Radish 39

Let’s Talk About Stress

Building on from my point last week on the importance of being open about stress, I want to use my ‘let’s talk about stress’ video (You can watch the video here) to make another important point - watch today’s weekly radish video to learn my three reasons for deliberately putting myself in embarrassment’s way and why taking things less seriously, especially what others think of you is so important.

So, there you go, I’ve said it.  I still cringe a little when I hear people have watched the original ‘let’s talk about stress video but I stand by my original reasons and, although from time to time over the intervening years i have found myself drifting back into taking things too seriously, i have caught myself in the act and ‘stepped away’ from the seriousness.  I have no regrets (honest) - well ok, maybe I would like to have the hair I did back then ;0

Dave
Dave Algeo,
Stress(ed) Guru Speaker, trainer and 'Men's Burnout+ Coach (coaching from burnout to break-through)
dave@stressedguru.com
Helping you create success with (not at the expense of) wellbeing.

Transcript:

- Let's not take it all so seriously.

(guitar music)

Welcome to this week's Weekly Radish,

and this week, I'm gonna take the theme

of let's talk about stress, baby,

in the cringe-worthy video
that I linked to last week.

♫ Hope, I've lost hope

So last week, I talked about the message

behind the let's talk
about stress, baby, video.

This week, I wanna give
you the three reasons

that are more personal to me,

the reasons why I created that video.

And it wasn't just for a laugh.

Oh, it was a laugh.

First reason, I realised that

part of my anxiety in the past

was taking it all so seriously,

taking me so seriously,

taking how I interacted with the world

and worrying so seriously,

and worrying about what everybody thought.

And I realised that, actually
challenging that instinct

to play safe, to not
make a fool of myself,

to always play on the safer side of that,

was inhibiting me and holding me back.

So what better way than to just simply

jump into the deep end

and make a tongue in cheek, silly video

with serious messages to
challenge my own instincts.

So it was about challenging
my own instincts

to play it safe, and draw back
from making a fool of myself,

and in doing something that seemed so bold

and daring for me, it actually helped me.

It helped me in those lesser situations,

question my instinct to play safe,

to hold back to, whether I
might make a fool of myself

in those situations,
because I was able to go

well, you did that Dave.

You did that, you survived
it, and it was fine.

You can do this, push yourself.

And I found by making that bolder step,

the smaller day-to-day challenges,

I was able to rise to more comfortably.

The second reason was that I'd embarked on

setting up this business,
and I wanted my business

to be a reflection of me and my attitude

and approach to life, and
I didn't want it to become

a reflection of the past me,

the serious, anxious me,

the me that played by the
rules, that followed procedures.

I wanted it to be a reflection
of the silly, playful me,

with the passion in the
messages that I was delivering.

So it was about how I approach my life,

not just personally, but in work,

because my business is
a key part of my life,

and it needs to be a
statement of what I believe,

which is invest in yourself,

take life less seriously,

and allow yourself to be truer to yourself

in whatever you do.

And the third reason is to be an example.

I wanted to show that taking those risks,

stepping out and doing something
that feels uncomfortable,

that might feel a little bit,
potentially like embarrassing,

or that you might make yourself exposed

to some sort of ridicule,

that actually I can be
an example to others.

Now I'm not suggesting you
go out and do something

so extreme and possibly
ridiculous as a video

like I've suggested, but it's
also about asking yourself,

where have you played small,

where have you held yourself back

when perhaps just being a little bolder,

and taking that step forward

could have opened up a
world of opportunities.

The way to developing a sense of freedom

is to take it less seriously,

to be less concerned about
what people think about you,

to just do it anyway,

having word of the ethical
and moral consequences,

but just to give yourself that freedom

to just go forward and step into something

that may feel scary,
may feel uncomfortable,

may open yourself up to
some sort of ridicule,

but you're allowing yourself to be you.

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