It was a people watchers paradise. A block wall, just high enough to double as a bench, lined each side of the blacktop pathway leading into or out of Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson, Missouri.
I was the first of our group of eight to arrive at our designated meeting spot at the end of the day. The meeting time was a window of half an hour, so I would likely have a bit of time to observe others coming and going.
At one point, a particular show or event must have just ended because there was suddenly an electric scooter parade that began. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many scooters in my life in one place. There were scooters with baskets in the front and the back, scooters with flags of all kinds, and scooters with some very impatient people.
One man came through with a little horn that he seemed a little too happy to be using. He’d toot his horn and then holler, “Comin’ through. Get outta my way.” I’m not sure what made him so special but he must have thought he was the King of Scooterville!
At times there were lots of people exiting all at once. At other times the crowd was thinned and only a few people were going by.
During those thinned out times you could easily hear people’s conversations.
One time there was just a mother and her son that were in the area where I was seated. He was probably about ten or eleven. As they walked by their pace became slower as the mom said, “Honey, you have to be honest with your grandmother!”
The young boy looked up at his mom and with an anguished voice replied, “But mom, I’m afraid of what she’s going to say!”
The mom responded but they were both out of earshot by this time so I’m not sure what she said or even what the conversation was about.
Fear and courage are around part of our lives every day. Yet we often don’t even realize it. What a great opportunity for this mom to teach her son about courage. These situations don’t just happen to kids. They happen to us as adults as well.
We put off conversations with our spouses, our kids, our bosses, our direct reports, our customers, and others because we are afraid of what they might say or think. The longer we put them off the harder it is to have them as time goes on. The longer we put them off the bigger the issue grows in our minds.
What conversation is fear keeping you from having today? What will it take for you to muster up the courage to face that fear today?
Fear or courage? You get to choose!
Do you need a speaker for an upcoming event? I’d love to be that guy. You can reach me at dave@cultivatecourage.com or 952-200-7499.
You can now buy the book “Cultivate Courage” on Amazon!
