The Catalyst

Greetings All,


There are certain things in life in which we love to indulge. Chocolate, pornography, and celebrity gossip are just a few guilty pleasures that we secretly enjoy. Though I’m a little ashamed to admit it one of my guilty pleasures is the TV series Smallville. For those who don’t know it’s a show about a young Clark Kent and his maturation before he becomes Superman. The show has an adolescent, soap opera-type vibe but I still can’t get enough of it. One of the more interesting aspects of the TV series is the effect that red Kryptonite has on Clark. Instead of making him weak like regular green kryptonite, it actually lowers his inhibitions and causes him to act out of character. It’s only happened a few times on the series but I love it when it occurs because I like to see the nice, clean cut farm boy turn into, for lack of a better term, a Super-Rebel. Clark has to protect himself from red Kryptonite because he thinks that it changes him. In reality it doesn’t change him. It just makes him less afraid to express his true feelings, which if you watch the show causes all kind of drama.
I let you in on my Smallville fetish because I wanted to discuss fear. I’m not talking about fear of dogs, death, or the Boogeyman. I’m talking about your inhibitions. You know, that part of you that creates a sense of panic and unworthiness every time you want to try something new. Inhibitions prevent you from spreading your wings and flying. They tell you that you’re not good-looking enough to approach the opposite sex. They tell you that you’re too dumb to go into business for yourself. Inhibitions are like walls set up to keep you in your comfort zone. The fears that you have make it seem as if what you have right now is the best your life has to offer. They tell you “Don’t try! You don’t know what’s gonna happen next. You don’t have what it takes. Everything is fine the way it is.” What is truly sad is that many of us think this is sound advice. That’s why as we get older settling down and putting our dreams aside seem like the “grown up” thing to do.
Our fears are developed over the years. They weren’t our fears to begin with. Normally, inhibitions are passed down to us. For example, Ladies, if your mom is unmarried or divorced I’m sure you’ve heard this: “If you don’t stop (fill in your own blank) you ain’t never gonna find a man.” Being young and naïve, you took her word for it because she’s older and obviously knew what she’s talking about. So now instead of being “you-nique”, you end up acting like someone else in order to make yourself “marketable”. You don’t want to be yourself because throughout life you were told you’d never be accepted as is. Eventually, you end up with a guy your mom likes while secretly dreaming about a guy that YOU like.
Having inhibitions is like living in a prison with no bars. There’s nothing holding you back except for your fear of disappointment. What’s worse? Most of the time, we’re not afraid of failure. We’re afraid of what other people are going to say/think when we fail. The truth is no matter whether you fail or succeed people are going to hate on you. It’s a fact of life. Once you stand up to the scary beast known as inhibitions, you’ll find that your fears are edentulous*. So go ahead, brother. Go ask Ms. Goodbody in accounting on a date. Of course, there is a possibility she might say no. But the law of averages says that they can’t all say no. Yes, you might be short. Yes, you might be bald. So you’re not super, man. Keep in mind, if Clark Kent was still on his planet no one would think he was special. Everyone on Krypton has heat vision, super speed, etc. It wasn’t until he was taken out of his environment that he seemed special. Maybe if you got out of your comfort zone you would discover you have power(s) as well.

“My defenses were so great. The cocky rock and roll hero who knows all the answers was actually a terrified guy who didn't know how to cry. Simple.” – John Lennon



Dream Big. Live Bigger.


The All-American
www.rallostyles.com
www.blestbabyproductions.com
http://thecatalystexperience.blogspot.com/


*Word you’ve never heard…

edentulous /ee-DEN-chuh-luss/ adj. - having no teeth; toothless