"...You might as well learn this now. The only monster you need to worry about in this life is the one that stares at you from the mirror each morning. You tame him, make friends with him, and the rest of life is nothing you can't handle." Charles Martin
Everyone has that little nagging fear: a fear of spiders, a fear of the dark, a fear of fire, a fear of heights. As we get older, these fears often fade and are replaced by bigger, deeper and more damaging issues: a fear of rejection, a fear of being unlovable, a fear of being alone. But there is one fear that often never leaves. It's a fear that drives humanity, a fear that takes fortitude to overcome and subdue from the forefront of life. That is the fear of oneself.
The monster in the mirror is present each and every day. But the image seen there did not begin as a monster. It began as a clean slate, an innocent mind, an unmarried heart. Over time, the fear began to emerge. The recipe for a monster calls for a heaping scoopful of underestimation mixed with loads of overthinking. Simmered for years, the monster appears and the fear is initiated.
With this fear comes many other problems. Self-doubt, self-loathing, and a sense of laziness come to visit along with the monster in the mirror. Self-doubt diminishes a person's ability to achieve. Thinking, "I'd never be able to do that", is what is hindering a person from discovering a new talent or changing their life for the better. Self-loathing breeds negativity. Think of the golden rule...."do unto others", right? If you are unable to treat your own self with respect, loyalty and compassion, it will be difficult to show these traits to others. Laziness joins the monster and ties it all together. Why would you try at anything if you're not good enough and won't succeed anyway?
How do we defeat this monster? To move on from this fear takes determination. One must look the monster in the eyes and say, "I am good enough" and "I can do this" each and every day. But empty words aren't enough. Words without action mean nothing to the monster. It will take more than that to suppress the fear.
In order to truly conquer this fear, one must take action. As clique as this sounds, this means stepping outside of your comfort zone to experience new opportunities to learn more about your capabilities. Replacing doubt with experiences leads to a friendlier face in the mirror. Each day won't be filled with the fear of failure but instead, each step taken will be driven by confidence.
