Reporting In as Ready: Your Coach in a Earthquake

What a 7-plus earthquake taught me about fear

Friday, around 11 in the morning, the building started to move.

It was a 7-plus earthquake. There was no siren, no forecast, no warning on the news. One moment it was an ordinary morning. The next, the walls of our condo were shaking and I was getting my self and our two dogs out the door as fast as we could go. My wife was in town shopping. 

Outside, we regrouped. We checked on each other. Then I went around and checked on the condos of friends who were out of town. Eventually, we went back inside.

I just told you that like it was no big deal.

It was. This is the largest recoded earthquake in Panama's history.

The second one

The building held. It stood hard. But walking out of it had been a choice, and we made it without knowing what damage had been done or what risk was still waiting.

Then, at 11 that night, a 6.6 hit.

The first quake was the event. The second one brought the fear back to life. Not fear of the shaking itself, but fear of the unknown.

A hurricane usually gives you warning. A tornado can surprise you, but there are usually signs. An earthquake gives you almost nothing. It just arrives.

Friday night was uneasy. Every creak was a question. What if.

The choice point

Saturday morning, things began to come back. The gas. The water. The electricity. Good stuff.

And Saturday was our anniversary. We had plans to go out, and as my wife and I got dressed, I noticed the question still hanging in the air. What if.

That was the choice point. We could stay home and keep watching the walls. Or we could get dressed, walk out the door, and celebrate the life we have together.

We went.

What I realized about fear

Since then, I have run into a lot of people who are just plain scared. I understand it. I felt it too.

But somewhere in all of this, I got clear on something:

Fear is there to protect me. Fear that does not let go is there to cripple me.

The fear that got us out of the building on Friday morning did its job. It moved my feet. It got my dogs outside. That fear is a gift.

The fear that keeps replaying "what if" days later is something else. It is not protecting me from anything. It is only keeping me from living.

Here is the truth I had to look at squarely. There is always an unknown. There is always a risk that I will not live through the day. That has been a fact of life every single day of my 73 years. The earthquake did not create that risk. It just made it impossible to ignore.

And once I saw that, something let go.

Not fearless. Free.

I am not saying I will never be afraid again. When the ground moves, I want my fear to show up and do its job.

What I am saying is that I no longer need to carry apprehension around afterward, waiting for the next thing. I have found this very freeing.

My goal is simple: to live fully, not stopping to fear.

A question for you

Maybe you were not in an earthquake this week. But most of life's real hits come without warning: a phone call, a diagnosis, a job that ends, a relationship that breaks.

So here is the question I would leave you with:

Is the fear you are carrying right now protecting you from something real, or is it replaying something that has already passed?

If it is protecting you, thank it and listen. If it is only replaying, you may be standing at your own choice point. Get dressed. Walk out the door.

Reporting in!

1. I am here.
2. Not ready for anything in particular. Ready for whatever life places in my path.
3. Reporting in as ready.
4. Ready for you Let's stop fear from freezing you up. 

— Jack Stanley BCC. Cedar Park Texas and the English Speaking world. Has some fear gripped you? I can help. +1 512 269-8023 or schedule a free exploratory session HERE Talk to you soon.