While in Washington at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial I cam across this quote and felt compelled to stand under it because for a long time I let my fears prevent me from taking risks and moving forward in my life.
Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of being ridiculed. Fear of being hated. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of change.
Life is meant to be lived and by allowing fear to rule it you can miss out on your life. It has taken me until this point in my life to finally feel comfortable with me and who I am as a person and this has allowed me to let go of my fears because as long as I do my best I am no longer afraid of failure or rejection or any of my other fears.
Unfortunately in life we are not always going to succeed but if we never try because we fear failure then we will never have the chance to succeed. I have passed on opportunities because I was afraid but I am now learning that it is okay to have failures in our life because from those failures we gain the knowledge to succeed.
Another unfortunate aspect of life is that not everyone is going to be supportive or kind. There are always going to be people that ridicule and are mean but that shouldn’t be the reason we don’t try for something. I have come across people that are only happy making others unhappy because it makes them feel better about themselves and I just feel sorry for those people now because it must be an awful way to live. The people that really matter in your life will support you through all your endeavors and if you happen to fall they will be the ones who help you stand back up and try again, those are the only people that matter.
The past couple of years has tested me as a person and I have discovered things about myself that I never knew, most importantly I have discovered that I am much stronger than I ever thought. I have lost loved ones, found loved ones and discovered new communities of people that I really have come to love. I have finally become the person I have always wanted to be which has ironically made me want more.
I no longer fear rejection, failure, ridicule, hate, embarrassment or change. Will I still experience all of these things…….absolutely but instead of fearing them I embrace them and I will let them propel towards a more successful future. I will not allow fear to control my life because living a life full of fear is not what i want for myself, I want to take this minuscule amount of time I have here on this planet and make the most of it!
Letting go of fear has brought opportunities I would never have imagined possible because I let my true self out regardless of the possibility of failure or ridicule. I started blogging almost 2 years ago which was a big step for me because I opened my life up to the world without caring about the possibility of failure because I was doing something I had always wanted to do….write. Blogging opened up a world of opportunity and friendship along with ridicule and rejection, but the good has far outweighed the bad. More recently I started vlogging which was huge for me because I am fearful of public speaking and being watched but in an effort to spread my wings I did it anyway. I have had positive feedback and as always negative feedback but I continue to vlog and I get better each time.
I am passionate about every opportunity I pursue and that passion shows which is what helps me be successful and it also helps me deal with any failure because I know I did the best job possible. My passion for my blog and for trying vlogging has lead me to a great project that will start mid-September. As soon as this project launches I will post all the details but I will say that I am extremely excited and I know you all will be too!!!
The moral of this post is that you should go after your dreams without fear because no matter what the outcome you will have tried and without trying you will never be successful. Life is short and we never know what tomorrow will bring so get out there and go after what you want right now!!!! I will not live a life of regret and I will not allow my fear or anything else stop me from pursuing my dreams.
What are your fears?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
great post.
Missy recently posted..Toby Massenburg’s Chiseled Workout DVD Review
LOVE and so so so agree.
I cant think of a fear now because I, like you, have chosen to change how I view them.
CHALLENGES
MIz recently posted..Boobs (not a sponsored post).
Thanks Carla!!!
Very powerful post. My fear? Going through life with a job that is not my passion. I’m still working on that.
Heidi @BananaBuzzbomb recently posted..How To Stay Positive
Thanks Heidi!! You will find your job…..I know it!
Great post Toni:) Fear is a big problem for so many people. I know many people in my life let fear keep them from really experiencing life. So sad. I know that fear almost kept me from doing my first triathlon a couple or weeks ago, but there was no way I was going to let that happen! I wanted to be a good example for my kids to never let fear rule your life.
hikermom recently posted..True "Grit"
Thanks!!!