Today I watched Episode 5 of I Love Lucy, “The Quiz Show,” which aired on November 12, 1951.
And wow—it was crazy.
Lucy can’t manage the finances and has fallen behind. She tries to go on a game show to make money. To win $1,000, she has to introduce her “first husband” to Ricky. The trouble is, there is a mix-up, and she ends up having two “first husbands.”
It got me thinking: What lengths do we go to in order to get what we want? What are we willing to sacrifice and deal with along the way?
What Lucy did was pretty extreme, but I can understand it. Sometimes, when we are in a bind, we can’t see the whole picture. So we make choices that might not be the best.
But what if all the options on the table aren’t actually all the options?
What if there is a third option?
So it’s not A or B, but C—something else we didn’t even think of?
How do we get to more of C in our lives?
Today, I was thinking about this concept of the third option and seeing beyond what is—and fear came through.
The thought was:
What if all that I am doing for this business isn’t good enough?
What if I am not good enough?
What if all of this has no value?
And I stopped and felt it in my body. I felt the fear be with me. Sit with me. I didn’t hide it.
Fear has more power when it is hidden. Sonia Choquette taught me that.
So I let it be. Then, instead of pushing it away, I surprisingly said:
So what? What if it is true?
And that stopped me.
Fear is a prayer for crap you don’t want, so why do I need to spiral?
If it is not good enough, then okay—I can handle it. But really, someone will find it valuable. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
So there is value. I know that I will impact at least one person, and that is valuable.
My fear can sit with me. I’ll give it a seat, and I will say, “Okay, I hear you. So what?”
I’m not going to stop. I will deal with any uncomfortable feelings that pop up along the way, but I will also know that I am doing my best and giving it my all.
That’s enough for me.
All this to say, I found a third option for fear today:
So what?
Fear isn’t just, “Yes, this is true,” or, “No, it’s not.”
It is C:
Sit here beside me. I see you. I hear you. And so what?
And if any of my fears happen to come true, it won’t be anywhere near the wild stories I create in my mind.
I am doing what makes me happy, and I am not stopping because fear wants me to stay small.
I’ll just keep going and be here, always looking for that third option.
