I was thinking yesterday what keeps me from being more successful in my various efforts to create my Napkin Dad transnational mega global world dominating corporation and I think it’s because, cliche of all cliches, I am afraid of failure. What? who me? Not me. I try all sorts of things. I have done the most outrageous things to get jobs, publicity, girlfriends, wives, kids (well, ok, what I did to get kids wasn’t all that outrageous).
But what I really mean is what this quote is saying. I don’t like being embarrassed. Now, that is funny because anyone who knows me will tell you I don’t get embarrassed easily. I was raised in a pretty immodest family so being naked never freaked me out. I can talk about any topic under the sun, in most any circumstances, and I won’t become embarrassed. I will try physical or mental challenges that I have no reason attempting. IN general, I don’t think about embarrassment.
But here is the key: I don’t know it’s embarrassment that I am feeling and fearing. All I know is I don’t want to do something. I avoid it. I distract myself. I do work-arounds. I do it myself instead of asking for help for fear of looking stupid in ways I think the person I am asking would never think I was.
There is one quote I didn’t use this week that I really liked. It’s by Lynn Swann, the famous football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here it is: ‘Some people play very, very well just so they won’t get embarrassed.’ People tend to be one or the other, the high achiever to avoid embarrassment, or the non-achiever. But I am both, just depends what day it is.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Scott Adams, 1957 – not dead yet, American cartoonist, creator of Dilbert.
One year ago today on The Napkin Dad Daily: Everyone is Kneaded
>Swann is right, some people do play very well so that they don't get embarrassed. The problem is that some people lose their minds and do ridiculous things to avoid it.
Not saying that you do that, just thinking out loud about some moments I have experienced. People can be just peachy.