I'm afraid of people's judgements. I'm afraid of looking stupid. I feel socially awkward. I'm afraid of doing things I've never done. I'm afraid of failure. I'm afraid of people saying "I told you so". I'm afraid of falling short. I'm afraid of wasps and other stinging insects. I'm afraid of getting chronically ill or getting cancer. I'm afraid of anything that could threaten the safety of my kids. I'm afraid of skydiving. I'm afraid I'll never lose the last 10 to 15 pounds. I'm afraid people will think that Beachbody is a scam and that I'm just another salesy fake who only cares about selling stuff. I'm afraid my other art-related business won't be successful.
Ok, you get it, but I have a point. We all have a seemingly un-ending list, right??? We're all afraid of things. It's a normal human emotion. It's essential when there is something we should actually be afraid of.
Let me tell you a little "secret". There are two different kinds of fear; those that are very real and those that are all in your head. You're probably thinking, "Well, DUH, Meg." Hear me out. Even though we KNOW this, we still let fear rule our lives and prevent us from living our dreams far too often. Think of it this way: If you do what you're afraid of, what will happen? Will you die? Will bad things happen? Or is the consequence just silly?
If I jump off a 10 story building, the consequences are going to royally suck. I'd be extremely lucky to survive and I'd likely be injured for life. It's not a good idea, and it's a good thing I am afraid of doing so. Legitimate fear keeps us from making terrible, deadly mistakes.
If I approach a new person and start up a conversation, there is a possibility to make a new friend and connection with another human being. There's also a chance that *gasp*, I might look stupid or say something silly or awkward. However, the consequence of looking stupid is that I might just make that person laugh, because they've likely been there before. The absolute WORST thing that can happen is that they don't want to be my friend and they think I'm weird. Am I going to die? Nope. In fact, I'm probably better off. If that person is super uppity and judgy, why would I want to be their friend anyway?
I will keep myself and my loved ones safe from the things that I can. Wasps won't kill me. Their stings will hurt like a b&*ch but I'll live. People's judgments won't kill me either. I am not a fake salesperson, I genuinely believe Beachbody works and I will continue sharing it to those who seem interested (and I will not pester people who aren't). I will work hard and take a chance on my art business, and if it fails, I will learn from it. I am going to join the military, because I don't need anyone else's permission and I don't need others to understand my journey, so long as my husband and children are ok with it.
I will ABSOLUTELY face some failure (and so will you). Failure is part of life. I will probably face people saying "I told you so" at some point. Not everyone is going to like me. I will probably get stung by a wasp at some point. That's not what matters.... What matters is what I stand to gain from accepting those possibilities.
What I stand to gain is too precious not to try for. I stand to gain financial independence, pride in myself, a happy family, a solid life, and the satistifaction of knowing that I conquered my fears. I stand to gain the ability to laugh at the doubters and shout to them, "Who is laughing now????" And when I fail, I stand to gain experience and growth. I stand to learn from my mistakes and STILL become a better person, even when I fail.
If you've ever watched "The Magic School Bus" as a kid, (my god, if you haven't, find it on netflix and get to watching because your life isn't yet complete....) you'll remember Miss Frizzle saying, "Take chances, make mistakes!"
Get out there. Try something new. Get a new job. Start a new degree. Start that workout program you've convinced yourself you could never succeed in or commit to. Write that book you've always dreamed of writing. Start that business. Talk to that person you think you'd like to be friends with. Try that new hobby you thought sounded fun.
Learn. Grow. Conquer. Repeat.
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