Life unfolds on a need to know basis. We don’t know what is going to happen in the next minute, much less, the next day, week, month or year. We can try to predict what might happen next, but the truth is we don’t know.
Yet, many of us allow fear of what might happen, to stop us from doing what we want to do. We imagine the worst case scenario, and that’s
enough to stop us in our tracks. We are afraid to leave our stressful, unfulfilling job because we might end up homeless. We’re afraid to leave an abusive spouse because we don’t want to be alone or we don’t think we can make it financially on our own. We put off exploring the world, until later, but later never comes.
But, what if, instead of imagining what could go wrong, we imagined the best case scenario?
What if you
took that thing you are afraid to do, and you looked at from the angle of what is possible? Where would it take you, if you ditched the boring job, left the abusive spouse or took that dream vacation you’ve been putting off?
Where will you be in 5, 10 or 15 years, if you keep doing what you’re currently doing? Odds are, you’ll be right where you are now, just a lot older and even more dissatisfied. I don’t know who to attribute this quote to, but I’m
sure you’ve heard it said… If you keep doing what you’ve done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve got.
Afraid of failure? Every failure contains the seeds of success. Every time you fall down, if you get back up, you learn something and you grow. There is no growth in playing it safe. So, what if the worst happened? What if you lost whatever it is you are afraid of losing? First, identify what you are really afraid of.
What would be your game plan for recovering that loss? Go ahead, write it down… Precisely, what would you do? Are you the kind of person who would just give up, lie down and die? Or, are you the kind of person who would refuse to buy into self-pity and find a solution? What would you do to rebuild your wealth, find a better relationship or replace whatever it is you lost?
To move forward, even when I am afraid, is a challenge I face
in my own life. Sometimes, I stretch myself and move past the fear, even though I am afraid of the consequences. Often, I let my fears hold me back, and later wish I had more courage. One thing I know I can count on, is that Life will continuously provide me with opportunities to expand and grow. What I have learned, is that when I take action, my fears lose their power. This quote from J. K. Rowling says it perfectly:
“It is impossible
to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.”
My commitment to myself, is to push through the fear more often than I let it hold me back. What is your commitment to yourself when it comes to fear and living a fulfilling life?
