{The following post was taken from the #GOALDiggers weekly newsletter. If you need an extra shot of inspiration to start your week, sign up!}

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The other day I had an “Aha moment.” I was in the shower and began thanking God for continuing to rain down blessings on my life. I do a lot of thinking and talking to God and myself in the shower (yes, I talk to myself!), and was doling out my regular thank yous to the Most High when something hit me.

For some reason I thought about all of the times that I had ignored my gut and instead acted out of some deep-seated (and sometimes irrational) feeling of anxiety. What I realized is that each and every time that I chose to make a decision based on being afraid, what I feared most ended up happening anyway.

Think about it. Have you ever stayed in a relationship way past the expiration date because you were afraid of being alone (or hurting your partner, or “failing” at love)? I know I have. And you know what happened in the end? I ended up alone anyway. Surrendering to my fears couldn’t stop the inevitable.

Making fearful choices does little to protect us, so why do so many of us continue to let it be our guide?

Last year I spoke with life coach and relationship expert Paul Carrick Bunson to get his take on why we let fear rule our lives. Here’s what he told me:

“Fear or the thought of failure is daunting to many. That said, it’s important to understand that failure is a component of everyone’s journey. Something does not have to end well for it to be the most valuable experience of your lifetime.”

Instead of viewing fear as something that controls us and prevents us from doing what we really want to do (and being afraid to fail), we should view fear and the idea of failing as a teachable moment and confirmation that we might just be on the right track.

Have you been acting out of fear?