Face your Fears

Face your Fears

An elderly person once said to me:” Life is not a dress rehearsal.  Even when we get the chance to rehearse and practice, we never seem to get to the grand opening. You know this for sure when you have more yesterdays than tomorrows.”

If only….. or …. What if….. may hold us back from taking that all important first step.  ”Baby Steps” – the smallest action is worth much more than the boldest of intentions.

Looking back on my life, I notice that every time I was in personal trouble, I signed up for something adventurous.  In hindsight, this seem to take the focus away from myself and the challenging situation. After a specific personal accomplishment, I was a changed person with more strength to face what I needed to face.

One of the adventures was becoming a scuba diver.  Even though I am comfortable in water, I had to force myself to push the deflate button to start sinking and start breathing under water. Instinctively my brain screamed “DANGER”! Once I mastered the basics I was amazed.  The weightless feeling and the beauty under water was breath taking.

 Overcoming the fear of night diving was the biggest challenge for me.  I had seen the movie Jaws and of course also knew that sharks hunt at night.  My courage was tested to the limit.  However, the sense of accomplishment  was well worth it.

Courage is the only way to live.  Bravery is not something you feel.  It is something you show.

 By embracing your fears you become exhilarated instead of hysterical.

Move out of the safe harbour. True bravery can only happen in the face of fear.  If you are not afraid, how can your actions be brave? 

Perhaps doing one thing you are frightened of, may just make life less scary in the long run.

Fear can hold us back.  It keeps us in our comfort zone, which is actually the lesser safe place to be. 

On the other side of fear is strength! Every time we push through fear, we gain a little more freedom.

As the saying goes:  “the greatest risk in life is taking no risk”