Dealing With Stuff
  • Dealing With Stuff
  • About
  • Contact

Playing Big

10/16/2015

 
Picture

Tara Mohr’s book affected me so much that I almost want to pretend I didn’t read it.  I recognized myself so many times.  “Chapter 1: The Inner Critic” ought to offer you a hint.  Playing Big is about all the many ways that we let fear hold us back, especially when it comes to the most important things, such as finding our true calling and contributing at the highest level of which we are capable.  This is one of the best of the genre.

There were several stand-out concepts for me in this book.  One of the biggest was learning to identify two types of fear, based on two separate Hebrew words.  Pachad fear “is the fear of projected or imagined things.”  The other is called yirah fear, and this is how Mohr describes it.  “1. It is the feeling that overcomes us when we inhabit a larger space than we are used to. 2. It is the feeling we experience when we suddenly come into possession of considerably more energy than we had before. 3. It is what we feel in the presence of the divine.”

What if we’re scaring ourselves with the sheer and stunning enormousness of our destiny?  What if what we’re feeling is closer to awe than anxiety?

I always feel so keyed up the night before a foot race that I can’t sleep.  On the morning of my first 5k, I was so “out of it” that I managed to put my underwear on sideways.  I’ve felt the same way before leaving for long trips.  Even though it’s something I really want to do, something I’ve planned and researched, even when I know I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be, I still feel anxious.  Now I understand that this is a different type of anxiety from the “bad things might happen” worrywart kind.  (As I was typing “bad things might,” I automatically typed “happy.”  Interesting).
​
Another section that really made me think was the chapter about “Unhooking from Praise and Criticism.”  I had never considered the two in the same context before.  Many of us have a tendency to want to get the A+ and ask for extra credit.  We’ll do whatever it is that looks like the way to earning positive feedback, even if that has nothing much to do with our calling or our priorities.  It’s much harder for us to feel like we are venturing into the unknown or making our own rules.

(Here is your permission to go and do whatever you want without asking for permission).
​
Playing Big is a fascinating, thought-provoking book.  It would be a fantastic choice for a book club.  There are visualizing and journaling exercises in each chapter, and they are worth careful consideration.  The topic of why we downplay our natural talents, hold ourselves back, and stop before playing big, is one that deserves examination on a societal level.  How we can start Playing Big is the most interesting question of all.


Comments are closed.
    New podcast!
    Clutter of the Day

    Author

    I've been working with chronic disorganization, squalor, and hoarding for over 20 years.  I'm also a marathon runner who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and thyroid disease 17 years ago.

    I have a BA in History.

    I live in Southern California with my husband and our pets, an African Gray parrot and a rat terrier.

    #Questioner
    #ENTP

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies

    Archives

    January 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All
    ADHD
    Birdwatching
    Body Image
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Cleaning
    Clutter
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    COVID 19 Chronicles
    Fibromyalgia
    Filks
    Fitness
    Food
    Future Self
    Futurism
    Goals
    Habits
    Humor
    Languages
    Martial Arts
    Mindset
    Minimalism
    Money
    Motivation
    Movie Reviews
    Moving
    Organization
    Past Self
    Pets
    Preparedness
    Procrastination
    Public Speaking
    Quests
    Relationships
    Resolutions
    Running
    Sleep
    Technology
    The Woo Woo
    The-woowoo
    Thyroid Disease
    Timemanagement
    Time Management
    Tiny Houses
    Travel
    Weight
    Work
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Dealing With Stuff
  • About
  • Contact