{"id":12217,"date":"2015-10-14T12:41:13","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T12:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/margiewarrellold.flywheelsites.com\/?p=11128"},"modified":"2015-10-14T12:41:13","modified_gmt":"2015-10-14T12:41:13","slug":"name-fear-to-tame-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/name-fear-to-tame-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Name Fear To Tame Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Need to find some\u00a0“Tall Poppy Courage?”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you live in Australia, or have ever travelled here, you\u2019ll have heard of the Tall Poppy Syndrome. It may sound like a medical condition, but it\u2019s actually a cultural one, whereby people who become too successful (or aspire to be) get cut down to the ground like a \u2018tall poppy\u2019 flower. I suspect it comes from our convict roots and disdain for the class system of Mother England.<\/p>\n

Over recent decades it\u2019s influence has waned but it\u2019s still there, in the shadows and every so often we see someone whose success has set them apart from the masses, gets ripped apart by the media. It can be brutal.<\/p>\n

While the Tall Poppy Syndrome may be uniquely Australian, the fear that drives it is universal. As I\u2019ve worked around the world, I\u2019ve met thousands of people who are afraid of reaching for their dreams, speaking up or standing apart because of what might happen when they do.<\/p>\n

\n

The truth is that regardless of culture, we are all social beings, and far more alike than we are different. We all want to belong, to be liked\u2026 admired even. And we\u2019re all innately wired to avoid doing things that might put our sense of belonging at risk.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But here\u2019s the deal, sometimes you need to do just that.<\/p>\n

As you go through life, sometimes you have to risk standing apart from the crowd, doing something others may criticize, rocking the boat and laying your pride on the line for something far more important.\"Tweet:<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the years I\u2019ve found that by naming the fear that urges me to fit in and play safe, I can better discern when its actually keeping me from doing the very things I need to do\u2026 despite the risks. As I share in my conversation below with Deb Spellman, I\u2019ve named that noisy rabble of voices my \u201cSmall Poppy Committee.\u201d
\n