Fear is an inevitable part of life. It is as natural to humans as breathing and sleeping. Fear presents itself to us every day. If you let it, fear can consume you. It can twist your thoughts, alter your priorities, it can ruin your relationships, and even take a toll on your body physically. But fear can also make you grow. It can help you expand your horizons, push you to take risks, and lead you on unimaginable journeys.
We all get scared. We are scared of change. We are anxious about the future. We are afraid of struggle. We are afraid of bad grades. Of not being good enough. Of letting people down. We are afraid of failing.
All of these fears are valid. We are allowed to be afraid, but we often make the mistake of allowing these insecurities to stifle us. We let our worries consume our thoughts, sending our lives into a spiral of doubt and stress. Eventually, these fears take over, and hold us back from exploring the possibilities that our lives hold.
We forget that change and struggle allow room for growth and learning, that failing now may open the door for success later on. We forget that worrying about the future stops us from appreciating the present.
The truth is, most of our fears are unnecessary. We worry about what we cannot control. And worrying does not make us able to control it.
Our fears are often rooted in our preconceived notions. We have seen others take chances and fail. We think the same will happen to us. We have seen people struggle, and crumble, and fall. Better safe than sorry, right? (No.) Charles Bukowski wrote, "we are here to laugh at the odds and live life so well that Death will tremble to take us." So live your life. Laugh at the odds. Do not live in fear. Sweep away your own conjectures about what lies ahead.
You will be OK. We will all fail at some point in our lives – maybe many times. But living in fear of failing holds you back from ever truly succeeding. We will all struggle. Find out what is worth that struggle to you and pursue it with everything you've got.
Take the jump. Know that if you fail, you will grow from that. You will learn. And you will be better for it. You will be stronger.
Don’t be a slave to what you're afraid of. Use it as motivation for you to take risks. Choose to act despite your fears, not because of them. Take a chance.
