Let’s play a game, shall we? Let’s pretend for a moment that no matter how hard you tried, you could not fail.
Then what? What would you do? Where would you go? How would you live?
It’s the question I started out with when I wrote my forthcoming ebook, Break Out of Your Box, which encourages people to finally take a leap and live their most awesome life.
Fear can be stifling. It keeps us trapped in unhealthy habits that do little but keep us prisoner to a life we often times don’t want.
I certainly know a lot about that. After years of wishing, wanting, and praying for a different life, I was stuck in a job I was too scared to get out of until I finally couldn’t take it anymore.
But taking chances is hard and downright frightening. It’s hard to step outside of our fear and try something different. It’s scary to go from the known to the utterly unknown. But taking a leap (yes, sometimes even before you can see what’s below) is the only way to change your life.
There’s a quote from Oprah Winfrey that I love. She says:
“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.”
I have been thinking a lot about the things I’ve been too scared to do: Publishing a book, picking up le kid and moving to another country, unschooling, falling in love, trusting myself.
While I’ve been living my dream and writing full time, I’ve left several other ambitions on the table because I’ve been afraid.
And it seems weird to even think about picking up and moving to another country, for example, when my income is still unstable (at least this is what I tell myself), but then I marvel at so many others who have done it (like Lainie Libert) and couldn’t be happier despite not having every, single, thing worked out. And I say to myself, I wish that was me.
But why can’t it be me?
It is possible.
Everything is possible.
We just have to believe.
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Is fear holding you back? Leave a comment and let me know how being afraid has played a role in your life.
Want to get down with a supportive group of go-getters? Meet us over in the #GOALdiggers group on Facebook.
How is fear holding me back? I wish to be a full-time writer, but the fear of instability leaves me stuck in a job I hate.
I recently was laid off from my dead end job that I worked at for 7years. I always knew that it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Well a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go back and work for the same company but I choose not to return because I realized I have been stuck in a rut (there were no chance of advancing and the pay was lousy)and I would never achieve any of my goals if I continued to work at a place that consume most of my time without benefits. Now I’m at the point where I can do almost anything that I want but I to am a single mother with a 6year old and I must admit I have been letting the fear of failure get to me. I want to relocate I know I can do it because I have done it before once when she was a baby, but I had a job lined up. I’m still pushing toward relocating but things are not happening fast enough. I don’t know- I think that sometimes it’s my thoughts more than anything holding me back. I would love to just step out on a limb and just go, but right now I don’t feel comfortable doing that with no job and a kid depending on me. I’m working on changing my thought process about it and really trying to nail down exactly how I’m going to do it. I’m praying that the tide will change in my favor very soon.
Hey Bran,
I totally feel you. I’m a single mom of a almost-7-year-old (gasp!), so I know the feeling.
My best advice? Confront your fears head on. Plan out what you’d need to move (money, housing, etc.) and use your circle. Perhaps move to a place where you can stay with friends or fam to get on your feet, or just tough it out and save for a minute then escape. You can have everything you want (I’m learning this), it just sometimes takes us altering our perspective.
Yes that is true, sometimes you have to think outside of the box and step out on faith. Thanks for bringing me back and reminding me of that.