Everyone has a fear that we keep to ourselves.

Yeah, you know the one--the one we hide so deep within us that we are hardly able to even admit it to ourselves, nonetheless ever say it out loud to others because of the embarrassment and vulnerability it would cause us.

Being vulnerable is something that isn't easy for the human species. In a world where we've been taught to carry our pride so high that we don't have time to be real and genuine, it's difficult to find moments where we actually feel connected to others because of how society has taught us to live and not truly confide in one another.

And although most people aren't an open book, usually if one person in the relationship takes a step in revealing something about themselves that may shed light on who they are, how they came to be themselves, etc., then the other person will probably bend a little and do the same.

You'd be surprised how people may be more accepting and sincere if you approach situations in a respectable and open manner.

So here I am revealing something about myself that you may not know.

My deepest fear: That I'll leave the phases of my life and the people in them untouched and unaffected. That my years spent in these places won't have meant the same to them as they meant to me. That I'll lose the connections that played such an important and crucial role into my self-development and future.

You may have picked up on the fact that I like to write about relationships.

Well guys, the root of that inspiration is my deepest fear.

Is that at all ironic? Because that actually makes a lot of sense to me.

I have all these feelings that when they become invested, I don't necessarily know what to do with all of them because I'm a pretty private person. Instead of constantly saying how I feel to people (because that makes me feel exposed), I usually show love and affection through actions, quality time, and gifts.

Or I write it down. That's just how I function.

People just mean a lot to me because without them in my life, I wouldn't have learned or experienced the things that have gotten me to where I am.

I mean, I know that I should give myself some credit for getting myself to where I am today because I am the one that has made the decisions, but these people, places, and experiences are the things that molded me into the person that was able to make those choices.

So how do I overcome my deepest fear?

I learn to live with it.

I know. That's not really an answer is it?

It seems like it shouldn't count as a valid solution, right? Because it's so vague that it doesn't touch on any of the specifics that can/should be applied to your life.

Well sorry, we're not all ever going to stop being afraid to confront the things that make us tick. We'll just get better at tackling the issue head on because that is exactly how we will learn to live with it.

This is my way of confronting my fear--talking it out. Reflecting on the fact that, yes, although I still see some things in my past as failures, as situations that I still feel deeply about (and probably always will) whether they're resolved or not.

I also think that time plays an important role into the magnifying glass of our past and what we see as failures because time tends to dilute our failures into viewing these things as experiences that we learned from.

Time gives us a new twist on our perspectives and our expectations.

So although writing may seem like an unattractive spew of our hearts onto a random page to some, it is one of the ways I learn to process everything that goes on in my life.

I hope that in some way you'll find a way to do the same.