What is the Scariest Thing You Did Today? Facing Fear and Building Confidence

[lisab]

Do one thing every day that scares you.

--Eleanor Roosevelt

Well she's often given credit for that quote, but what she actually said was,

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”

The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it. If you fail anywhere along the line it will take away your confidence. You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Meh, close enough.

Today, I turned wood on a lathe. It was from a stump of a plum tree that was in our yard (just goes to show you that if you're a tree in our yard, you better make decent fruit!). It's scary because the tool can get away from you and get flung across the room, or you can get tangled up in the lathe. Both of those are bad, bad things but the second one is probably worse. Neither happened today, and tomorrow I will finish my first wood bowl.

So what did you do today that scared you?

 

[Student100]

Stuided for exams.

 

[lisab]

Stuided for exams.

Isn't taking them scarier?

 

[Aero51]

Drove the wrong way down a small road near a mall around Saturday rush hour (6-8pm) to bypass the slow southerners.

Actually it was kind of fun. You see, North Carolina didn't receive the Model T until 2006, so they are still learning.

To reward myself I went and cooked a steak and shrimp dinner with mashed potatoes.

 

[WannabeNewton]

Went outside.

 

[phinds]

Today, I turned wood on a lathe ...

Congratulations. Careful the bug doesn't bite you. It's said that a wood turner is someone who keeps a picture of their lathe and lathe tools in their wallet ... right there where the money used to be.

If you're interested in exotic woods (well, domestic too), check out

www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics

 

[Student100]

Isn't taking them scarier?

I fear you may be right.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I didn't do anything scary today. Maybe later.

However, I was once attacked by a metal lathe. I had to get two stitches in my lower lip. Before it happened I had no fear of lathes whatever. I think you're better off starting out skittish and careful around them. Same goes for all power tools, and some house cats.

 

[drizzle]

Drove my car.

 

[trollcast]

Jumped off a 4ft high ledge to retrieve a kids helium balloon. Scared I was either going to not get the balloon and look like an idiot in front of a roomful of people and/or fall and break a leg.

 

[lisab]

Drove my car.

Probably the riskiest thing I do in an ordinary day .

 

[lisab]

Jumped off a 4ft high ledge to retrieve a kids helium balloon. Scared I was either going to not get the balloon and look like an idiot in front of a roomful of people and/or fall and break a leg.

So...did you get it?

 

[lisab]

I didn't do anything scary today. Maybe later.

However, I was once attacked by a metal lathe. I had to get two stitches in my lower lip. Before it happened I had no fear of lathes whatever. I think you're better off starting out skittish and careful around them. Same goes for all power tools, and some house cats.

Honestly I was extremely skittish. I've never seen a tool get thrown by a lathe but I'm familiar with the laws of physics.

Cats...well you take your chances and hope for the best. Problem is, I adore them and they know it.

 

[trollcast]

So...did you get it?

Yeah and I didn't faceplace into the floor or fall over when I landed either.

 

[Borek]

Scariest thing so far was looking into the mirror. But it is just 10 a.m. on a slow Sunday.

 

[256bits]

so far, opened the fridge to see what`s living and growing in there.

 

[PhizKid]

Drank spoiled milk

 

[Evo]

Got to agree, looking into the fridge is my scariest daily activity.

 

[pyzicslolito]

I am scared that I will see my mother again.
I am scared to lead my life without the Internet and I am afraid I will one lose all of PFers all at once.
Many of you sound to me very familiar and nice although I just never met you.

 

[drizzle]

Lol!

 

[lisab]

OK so today I tried to hollow out the inside of my bowl. YIKES! I kicked that bowl's butt yesterday, but today it won.

Bowl 1, Me 1.

You just wait, bowl. This isn't over!

 

[zoobyshoe]

A couple years ago I got into watching YouTubes of people turning stuff on pole lathes. This technology probably goes back to extremely ancient times, though the first lathes were more likely bow lathes. Anyway, I've always wanted to try it.

 

[turbo]

I didn't do anything scary today. :(

 

[lisab]

A couple years ago I got into watching YouTubes of people turning stuff on pole lathes. This technology probably goes back to extremely ancient times, though the first lathes were more likely bow lathes. Anyway, I've always wanted to try it.

That was very enjoyable, thanks for posting it!

I made good progress this evening, I had more confidence and I was relaxed. But towards the end...I don't know what happened, I miscalculated the distance to the surface. I'm finding it's hard to really judge where the surface is when it's spinning. So I had what's called a "catch". The gouge dug in too hard, the tool jerked, and the bowl wedged loose from its chuck. It didn't fly, though, so I managed to turn the lathe off.

Everything was OK, the bowl had a deep "valley" but it was salvageable. And the tool didn't fly either...whew.

 

[drizzle]

Tonight I wanted to take a right turn on a cross section, and ended up driving in the opposite way lane, once I noticed the yellow lines I swift to the right lane. If there were any car, I would've crash into it. The horror.

 

[Borek]

Where have you learned to drive, in UK? I know such things like landing on the wrong line after turn happen to people who have to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right (or vice versa).

 

[drizzle]

Me: turn right- talking to my brother while pointing to the left.
My brother: left you mean?
Me: no, right- again pointing to the left.
My brother: do you want me to take the right or the left??
Me: I said right, DAMN LEFT I MEAN!


It's in the mind, Borek. Happens often when I'm deeply thinking about something, that's why it's scary to drive, cause it's impossible for me not to think.

Edit: The dialogue above occurred in another instant showing the same problem of confusing right for left and vice versa.

 

[jhae2.718]

Remind me never to drive when you're on the same continent, Gad.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

 

[dlgoff]

Edit: Here I thought I was on the Random Thoughts thread. Sorry about that
SW VandeCarr. That is scary.