By Francis J. Kong
(The Philippine Star) Updated March 04, 2012
A
man told the ringmaster that he was interested in joining the circus as
a lion tamer. The ringmaster asked if he had any experience, and the
man said, “Why, yes. My father was one of the most famous lion tamers
in the world, and he taught me everything he knew.”
“Really?” said the ringmaster. “Did he teach you how to make a lion jump through a flaming hoop?”
“Yes, he did,” the man replied.
“And did he teach you how to have six lions form a pyramid?”
“Yes, he did,” the man replied again.
“And have you ever stuck your head in a lion’s mouth?”
“Just once,” the man replied a third time.
The ringmaster asked, “Why only once?”
The man answered, “I was looking for my father.”
Some jobs are simply dangerous. Take those construction workers on
sites balancing on beams from hundreds of meters above the ground. Or
how about bomb disposal squad members and firefighters? Man, those are
dangerous jobs!
Ever wondered how they’re able to do what they do? Ever wondered where they get the courage to do what they do?
Former New York mayor and American presidential candidate Rudy
Giuliani shared a story in Singapore one time. The story never left me
since then. Mr. Giuliani related, “The New York firefighters are
probably the best firefighters in the world. One day a building was on
fire and the situation was not very good. Some of the firefighters were
shaking their heads. One of them said, ‘This baby is a goner….’ And
then they heard a scream for help from inside the building. One of the
firefighters broke rank and rushed inside, prompting the rest of the
firefighters to shout ‘Don’t go in there….’ But he did, and in the nick
of time saved a young boy trapped inside the building. The firefighter
pulled him out of the edifice just before the whole thing collapsed.
What an act of bravery.”
Was he brave? Of course he was! So the next day, Mr. Giuliani, being
the mayor of the city back then, was tasked with pinning the medal of
valor on the young firefighter. But the brave public servant was in one
corner of city hall all shook up and trembling like a leaf. He was
scared! So different from the day before when he was all brave and
courageous!
Mr. Giuliani explained. “You see, the firefighter will be given the
medal for bravery all right. But after that, he will have to face the
public and the press, and give a public speech. The firefighter has
been trained to fight fire, but he has never been trained to make a
public speech!”
We are always afraid of doing things we have no training in. This is
the reason why only a few people feel comfortable speaking in public.
But there are the brave souls who join clubs like the Toastmasters who
are trained in the art of making and delivering impromptu speeches.
Are you afraid of something? Learn and study and master the very
thing you’re afraid of. This is why training and continuous education
is so important. Eleanor Roosevelt says, “You gain strength, courage,
and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look
fear in the face.”
I used to be afraid of what the future would bring. And then I
studied Scriptures, and I’ve discovered that the best way to fight fear
is faith. Not just blind faith, but faith from revealed truth. Try it.
It works!
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