Risk Taking
for the
Fearful

81. According to my research, three out of four people suffer from “glossophobia,”* the legit word for fear of public speaking. I have no idea if this is actually true, but if it is, you probably are one of those three. Welcome to the club.

If you’re trying to shake this fear, let me tell you what doesn’t work. Early in my TV shopping days, I tried to overcome my fear of public speaking using my fear of heights. My theory being, if I could jump past my acrophobia and parachute out of an airplane, my glossophobia would see I was willing to kill us all if it didn’t release me from its snare.

Then my parachute didn’t open. My little dot of a young son looking up at me from the ground started getting really big, really fast as I dropped like a rock from the sky. And by the time my backup parachute opened and I landed, my glossophobia—AND my acrophobia—knew they’d won: I thanked God, out loud, for being safe and sound in the arms of my child.

In other words, my experiment failed: I still dread public speaking. (And I am still afraid of heights.) And I’m OK with that. Because if there’s one thing I’m REALLY afraid of—and I think this fear is healthy—it’s not growing. And sometimes making progress means making peace with things you cannot change.

Me skydiving (after the backup chute opened)

* Am I the only one who thought this meant fear of lip gloss?