What is it about the word new that utterly terrifies you? That makes you re-think everything in your life. Every day you are surrounded by the opportunity of new. Whether it is saying hi to someone new, trying a new food, or having new ideas. The possibility of new is endless and the unfathomable amount of new is overwhelming. Especially at 20 years old with a lifetime of new possibilities in front of me and I can’t help but wonder why does the concept of new terrify me?

My utter fear of failure. New means unknown and the unknown is scary. I know that the possibility of new scares me because I don’t know what new will bring to my life. For the longest time I was scared to put myself out there and write because I didn’t want to try something new in fear that I was not going to be good at it. I think that our fear of failure is what holds all of us back. The time comes when we have to let go of our own insecurities about failing and just go for it. We are so comfortable in old, old is like our safety net because we understand things we know and have experienced before. Think about it the word in itself strikes fear into children. From a young age we are constantly doing new things, that when we get to a point where we have a routine and are comfortable we do not want to change. As human beings we are so used to being in a pattern and having our lives planned that the entire concept of “new” makes us feel crazy. We like order, and common sense. We do not like things that make us feel out of place or crazy. Where would we get in life though if we never got out of our comfort zones? The people who live in their own bubble and never step outside their comfort zone are the people who can’t go very far in this world. People who have no fear and are always willing to try new things are the people I truly envy because those are the people that are discovering new things everyday about the world and themselves as well. I hope we can all try to expand our horizons and those of others around us.

Everyone needs to help crush this societal fear of failure and the unknown. I challenge every one of you to do something different today, try something new. Put yourself out there. It took a lot for me to start doing something that I am so passionate about but I have never been happier with the choice I made. I may have had to put myself out there but the end result was worth the chance of failure. If you are passionate about something then share it with others, help other people experience new things while you do as well. Passion is something meant to be shared. Go out and experience something new.