Everything that is worthwhile in life is scary. Choosing a school, choosing a career, getting married, having kids--all those things are scary. If it is not fearful, it is not worthwhile.
Paul Tornier
Fear weaves its way in and out of every lifetime, its height and depth in perfect proportion to the importance of each choice we make. The measure of difficultly of any action making it more precious to achieve. Being fearful should make us move more quickly with an added alertness of our surroundings, but often it stops us cold.
I have faced many fears and know first-hand the strength it takes to paddle against the internal current it produces. I also know that pre-dread is always worse than post-reality. What is imagined may make the first few steps dreadful, but once we realize the ease of travel is less intimidating than our before-hand notion we can relax our defensive stance and enjoy the journey.
Once one fear is given control others come to live and raise a family. They steal self and leave a shuddering shell, but even the most fearful among us can exorcise them using the hunger each soul has to survive. There is more power inside even an atom of self than in any measure of fear. But we have to be self-propelled and that takes self-belief that many of us do not possess.
That lack can be eliminated with stern daily reminders of some wonderful facts we often misplace in the shuffle of life. Each of us has the right to be the best we can be and we each have that ability. Our life is a gift we are meant to live, it should not live us. Happen to life do not just be satisfied to let it happen to you. The faster you face a fear the smaller it is, waiting only allows time for it to grow to mammoth proportions. Belief in your right to life in its fullest degree is the best armor to wear in any battle with fright. You will never stop having fears as long as you continue to grow so they are sure signs of forward motion once overcome. Fear not the fear of change; if you want to be terrified of anything let it be that things will forever stay the same. That is my biggest fear and it fuels all my forward motion. Let it do the same service for you.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
