"Feel the fear and do it anyway".

I first heard this said by one of my favorite actresses, Mariska Hargitay (shout out to her), about two years ago. And since then, it has been stuck in my head. I've found that the more I do this (feeling the fear and doing it anyway) the happier I become. When I am presented with an opportunity or I have a new idea, I remember this little rule, follow it, and usually the outcome is somewhere between "pretty okay" and "UNBELIEVABLY GOOD". I don't think I've yet had results between "truly horrific" and "mediocre". Not bad!

The first time this saying helped me out was at the end of my junior year of high school, when I auditioned for a show outside of where I usually performed (my hometown). By this point in my life, I had auditioned more times than I care to remember, but in front of the same five or so people every time. Auditioning in front of people who knew nothing about me was SCARY, and I pondered whether or not I was actually going to audition for months. But I decided the possibility that it would go well outweighed the fear of it going terribly wrong. And I did it. It was a great experience, I had fun, and I made friends that I am still in touch with today. After this experience, I remembered my little mantra whenever I felt fear or anxiety about doing something new, and ultimately decided to take the plunge.

I'm getting on a plane in March for the first time in my life. Am I scared? Heck yeah. But I'm going to do it because I know that once I get this out of the way, I will never have to fly for the first time ever again. Also because I already payed for my ticket.

I have done a good handful of things so far that have changed my life and my goals for the future, and I don't think any of them would have happened if I didn't step out my comfort zone, and do something that scared me. So thank you, Mariska Hargitay, for saying this and implanting it in my head forever. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop doing it.