For an hour on Sunday morning, a group of teenagers talked about their worst fears. As an adult, some of their fears seemed quite ordinary, until I realised that at thirteen, I might have shared some of their phobias. Speaking in public, singing on a stage, dancing of any sort.
I used a re-framing tool to put their fears into perspective and taught them to change their language. One young girl talked about being afraid of singing in public. "What's one of your dreams," I asked. "To sing on New Year's Eve at Times Square," she replied. As a group, we surprised her by agreeing that she had the potential to achieve her dream. Another young man, afraid of heights wants to some day work as a sky-diving instructor. I stood at the centre of the room and told them stories of my struggles overcoming basic fears.
Fear restricts. It pulls people so far away from their potential that they stop dreaming. "Start small, practice and believe you can do it. But always, speak positive - you become what you say."
I think they got it. At the end of the class, several of the youth offered to take up leadership responsibilities, write and perform a song, share with the group for five minutes about their struggles with fear.
I've got a dream-board. Sometimes, it's good for a laugh (I'm a pretty wild dreamer). I speak what I want out of life, it usually comes true. I let my imagination soar, instead of restricting it to small dreams. The only real lack, sometimes, is a deficit of imagination.
I used a re-framing tool to put their fears into perspective and taught them to change their language. One young girl talked about being afraid of singing in public. "What's one of your dreams," I asked. "To sing on New Year's Eve at Times Square," she replied. As a group, we surprised her by agreeing that she had the potential to achieve her dream. Another young man, afraid of heights wants to some day work as a sky-diving instructor. I stood at the centre of the room and told them stories of my struggles overcoming basic fears.
Fear restricts. It pulls people so far away from their potential that they stop dreaming. "Start small, practice and believe you can do it. But always, speak positive - you become what you say."
I think they got it. At the end of the class, several of the youth offered to take up leadership responsibilities, write and perform a song, share with the group for five minutes about their struggles with fear.
I've got a dream-board. Sometimes, it's good for a laugh (I'm a pretty wild dreamer). I speak what I want out of life, it usually comes true. I let my imagination soar, instead of restricting it to small dreams. The only real lack, sometimes, is a deficit of imagination.