The questions of the day are: What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? And What would it take to get you to do it?

I pondered the first question for at least 30 minutes, with nothing coming to mind. Then, I had to keep an appointment, which shifted my focus. Since the second question requires me to answer the first, I am still trying to move forward three hours later. So, let’s take a different approach to this matter.

For example, what has scared me in the past? I can think of several things that scared me when I was young, but they were out of my control. I had little say in whether they happened or not. For instance, when I was five, my dad told me to go to the car and bring his camera inside.

I had done that before without any problems. However, there was a problem this time. I was only wearing my underwear and did not want to go out where people might see me wearing only my briefs. Dad would not let me dress and made me do his bidding.

I ran like the wind and fell, returning to the house. I fell on a concrete step and split my chin open, requiring a trip to the emergency room. That resulted in a lecture about “being a man” and not letting fear control me.

From then on, my life was full of lessons about how to control my fear and not let fear control me. As I grew older, “being a man” became a mantra. My brother and I did many dare-devilish stupid things. It is amazing either one of us survived to adulthood.

Then, I decided to become a cop. That led to a life full of high-speed pursuits, walking into a darkened building where an armed suspect might be hiding to searching a field at midnight after chasing an armed suspect into the field. Of course, there were also a few times when I faced an armed and angry suspect, and I was scared I might have to shoot them. Thankfully, I never had to pull the trigger, but it got close a few times.

One of the scariest moments of my life was when I went through U. S. Army airborne training. It was my first jump from an aircraft, and I was the first man at the door. That meant I was standing there for what seemed like forever with the wind swirling around me, trying to suck me out of the old C-119 used for jump training.

I was scared that I would not be able to jump when the jump master told me to go. However, he yelled “Go” in my ear, slapped me on the back and I went. It was the greatest feeling in the world, right up to the point one of my fellow trainees came falling by me with a malfunctioning parachute. Check out Counting Rivets for more details on that experience.

So, what does the above have to do with the day’s questions? I still cannot think of anything I am “most scared to do.” Therefore, I cannot even guess what it would take to get me to do whatever it might be that scared. Probably, I’d do what I’ve done many times before, suck it up, and push forward.

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