F.
E.
A.
R.
Fear of failure.
Fear of mistakes.
Fear of being made fun of.
Fear of being hurt.
Fear of screwing up.
Fear of spiders.
Fear of people.
Fear of loving too much.
Fear of loving too little.
Fear of it not being enough.
Fear of judgement.
Fear of....
Fear. It's exhausting. It's paralyzing. Everyday, we all face it to some extent; we all face it to various degrees. But we all face it. Something makes us take a step back and say what if I don't or what if I'm not...?
As we evolve, so does our fear. Each new stage in our lives, each new chapter, brings a new worry, anxiety, fear. I don't care if you know someone who says they're "fearless." That's bull. They aren't. We naturally face "fight or flight" on the daily. I'd argue, that's our body's natural fear. Key word: Natural.
I think many of us are immobilized in some way, shape, or form by our fear. And it needs to stop. I can't speak for all of you with certainly, but I know it definitely shapes my life. Based on my observations, it shapes/controls others' lives too. A student fears they aren't good enough; so, he or she doesn't try. One of my favorites: people who won't dance because they "can't dance" and fear they'll be made fun of. Fun fact: not many people can dance. It's not about the quality of dancing--it's about the quality of fun.
Like I said, it needs to stop. We need to, collectively, overcome our fear. I think the fear of doing things differently has arguably even hampered progress. But, for the sake of this brief post, let's stick to individual bases.
For too long, I've let certain fears inhibit me from doing things that I dream about doing. For too long, I've impeded my own happiness because I fear I'll mess it up. For too long, I've cut out certain fears while letting others grow into uncontrollably poisonous weeds deep within my spirit.
Fear is so odd because it's such an enigma. With it, I feel like I'm in constant paradox. On one hand, it's so easy to overcome--you simply must choose fight. We must act against the fear. Like with dancing, once you start it's not so bad after all. Yet, on the other hand, it's sometimes easier said than done. At the end of the day, you just have to fight. Period.
I recently challenged you all to collect happiness. Well, I now challenge you to fight fear. I know it's not an easy thing to do but remember a few things. One, YOU ARE MORE THAN FEAR; FEAR DOES NOT OWN YOU. Two, AT THE END OF THE DAY, SOMEONE WILL STILL LOVE YOU. Three, LOOK AT HOW HAPPY PEOPLE WHO CAN OVERCOME THEIR FEAR ARE. Four, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. No matter what, no matter how lonely you may feel, you are not alone. Someone, in some manner, can connect with you if you let them.
So, I challenge you to find a way to challenge yourself to overcome your fear. Maybe it'll take baby steps; maybe you'll throw yourself into the shark tank. Just do it. I think I want to write myself a note that I know I'll see daily that reads: Robert, it's okay to fail. Just get back up and learn.
It's weird because I've learned best from failing. Like, some people used to think I was so good with computers in grade school. I wasn't; I just failed until I got it right and learned how to do it right...I digress...
Be brave. Be bold. Be a fighter of fear. I believe in you and others do too. It's time we ditch our excuses and our fears and start believing in us. Let's get it.
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