#1943 The Fear Door (vEmerson)

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that Emerson didn’t *feel* like going to the chess tournament that he wound up CRUSHING.

Now…

Right after he finished playing the last game, we were outside the Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy when we had what was for me, one of THE most powerful moments of our relationship.

Here’s how it went down.

When Emerson is playing really well in a tournament, he gets the opportunity to play on a “top board.” Those top boards have special technology that allow the game to be broadcast online so I can watch it live.

So…

He was on a top board for the last game. I was watching online (from the car where I’m camped out on days like this!) and then entering the moves on chess.com to see who was winning. It’s an incredibly cool way to follow him playing.

To state the obvious: Chess isn’t like baseball or basketball or soccer where you can watch your kids play, so when I get a chance to watch him like this I LOVE it.

Anyway…

He’s DOMINATING his opponent (who started playing in chess tournaments 25 years ago!) in the match.

I’m “watching” it. I see the game’s over. And I go to the room to get him and celebrate.

We walk outside.

Then, as we were standing there by ourselves (and I get full body goosebumps typing this), I get down to his eye level and tell him that I’m REALLY proud of him for showing up that day.

Then I told him that some of THE (!!!) most powerful moments in MY life have come when *I* did something I didn’t want to do and almost *didn’t* do.

Note: I talk about some of the “Fear Doors” I walked through in Areté. (And in these +1s: Fear Doors Part I, Part II, and Part III.)

The “Fear Door” I walked through that I shared with Emerson to make my point was a time when I was 23 years old and, as I told him, had a lot more hair. 😉 👨‍🦰

I was running my first business. We had a chance to enter the business plan competition at the Anderson School of Business at UCLA.

I almost DIDN’T go because I didn’t feel like we were ready.

I told him that I had almost no money and the flight from the East coast where I was living at the time to Los Angeles was really expensive for me. And I told him that I went to Kinko’s to print the business plan and had to decide whether I was going to do it in black and white or color and that the $500 it cost to do it in color was A LOT of money for me at the time.

But…

I flew out. I entered the competition. We got those color copies. We did our best.

And…

He said: “Did you win?!?”

I said: “We did. And I wound up getting $5 million dollars to build that business and it COMPLETELY changed my life.”

But…

I said: “I almost didn’t go because I didn’t think I was ready.”

Then…

I said: “I need you to know that some of THE ABSOLUTE BEST THINGS IN YOUR LIFE will happen when YOU have the courage to do the things you’re afraid to do.”

“And that’s why I’m so proud of you for showing up today.”

“And that’s what the virtue of courage is all about.”

And…

That’s Today’s +1.

Spotlight where it belongs…

On YOU.

What Fear Door do YOU need to walk through?

Let’s get really good at practicing our philosophy so we can help our kids and the next generation of Heroes (and everyone else in our lives!) do it with even more joy.

Today.