Can personal insecurities be an asset?

I have already touched upon that subject and I would still like to revisit it because I continue to believe that personal security is more likely to install us into a comfortable life, making us “fat and happy” and in many ways, quite vulnerable to life and its nasty little surprises.

On the other hand, when life offers us a host of insecurities that are stinging us from all parts and at all times, in varied intensity, we need to respond. In most cases, insecurities promote in many folks a reaction that could be characterized as being of “equal intensity and opposite direction”, which means that it’s likely to be both intense and positive.

At least that’s my theory. This reminds me of a dinner I had in the mid 80s with Jean-Claude Killy, in Geneva, Switzerland, in which he confided to me that his own insecurities were the treasure trove that he was able to transmute into the series of athletic achievements that have crowned his active career.

This is a concept I do agree with, as I have gone through a similar process blending a significantly harsh childhood, a generally low self-esteem and a few missed dates with Lady Luck. Under these circumstances, every individual has one of two choices:

Accepting the insecurities we are dealt with, living with them and resigning oneself to pay the price exerted by them. The alternative would be to react vehemently against them and create an alternative reality capable of overcoming these insecurities and turning them into rewarding achievements.

Both instinctively and systematically, I always chose the latter option...