Easier said than done, right? Don’t you wish you could just live life without worrying about the consequences? I’m not talking about living recklessly, but having enough courage to be the person you want to be or live the life you dreamed of for yourself. There are so many things that hold us back: worry, fear, and self doubt to name a few. Why do we let outside influences dictate who we are or what we do? Think about what you could accomplish or experience if you had no fear. Every time I watch the winter Olympics, I can’t help but envy the ski jumpers and snow boarders who are launching themselves many feet into the air while doing flips and turns and landing blindly on their feet. I can’t even imagine what it takes to stand on the edge and just go for it. They are risking everything, including life and limb, to achieve success. Are they just wired differently, or are we able to learn how to dismiss the doubts and take that leap?

We let fear sneak into our lives in many ways. I don’t know this for sure, but I think the biggest fear people have is the fear of failure. What if we try something and we are terrible at it? What will people think? Who will we let down? How will we cope with letting ourselves down? If we don’t succeed and have to change our course, will we be seen as someone who gives up? A quitter? 

There is the also the fear of making the wrong decision. This is a big one because making decisions is hard. And the older we get, the bigger the decisions and the more we have riding on them. There are a lot of decisions to be made in our house right now. A good friend reminded me that at the end of the day, it’s just a decision. Sometimes you just have to trust yourself and go with it. And if you need to change your mind, then trust yourself to do that too. Think of a wrong decision as a wrong turn. You wouldn’t beat yourself up over a wrong turn, would you? Then give yourself the same leeway with decisions. 

Let’s think about fear in a different way. Imagine you’re at the end of your life and you’re given a look back at everything you could have done if you hadn’t let fear get in the way. How mad or disappointed would you be in yourself? Can you use that as your motivation to let some of that fear go? Think about if you never took the leap, if you never went for it, or if you never put yourself out there? Which is worse- dealing with the fear of failing or knowing you never gave yourself the opportunity to try?

I think one of the easiest ways to deal with overcoming fear is to have someone in your corner, giving you support. Choose someone you trust, who will be honest with you, and who will help you navigate through the doubt and fear. Things always seem less scary when you talk them through and explore all outcomes and possibilities. Before I started this blog, I worried about how many people would read it, what people would think, and if it would be a success or a failure. I definitely had someone encouraging me to just go ahead and start writing. Some weeks a lot of you are reading it, and some weeks not so much. And I’ve come to realize that it’s ok. I’m learning so much about myself, and I enjoy it. Would I be disappointed in myself if I had only talked about writing a blog but never tried it? Am I glad I put the worry and fear aside and put myself out there? Did overcoming that obstacle prepare me for the next one? Yes, yes and yes! So, what are you waiting for?