The Best Things In Life Are On The Other Side Of Fear
Become Mentally Strong Enough To Think Beyond The Moment
Everyone deals with being afraid.
It’s an integral part of our lives, the very thing that tries to keep us safe.
The counterpart however, is that it also limits us in our important endeavours.
Fear is the source of everything that holds you back, everything that causes you to resist from moving forward. Fear, disguised as resistance, keeps you from:
- Creating something you see as valuable and sharing it with the big world
- Going to the gym as a beginner
- Approaching strangers simply to ask for directions
- Telling your crush you love him/her
- Finally taking yourself up on that promise of travelling to (insert location)
- Meeting amazing people
- Performing for a live audience
- Quitting unhealthy habits
In short, fear is what holds you back from experiencing those life-changing moments that shape your character.
Last November, one of my best friends and I travelled to Budapest for a month. This was one of the many cities I always wanted to visit for an extended time. It was also the first time I was away from home that long, so I was anxious to do it.
What kept me determined was this thought:
Were I at a point in my life where I’m unable to do this, which self-reflecting thought would I cherish more? “Wow, I still can’t believe I did that…” or “Damn, I wish I just did that…”?
In the end, all that anxiety, all those negative thoughts that wanted to keep me “safe”, were useless. And the funny part, is that I was more nervous during the weeks leading up to the big moment, than I was right before landing in Budapest. In the end, I look back on that trip as the best time of my life.
Let me repeat that.
That thing I was afraid to do, turned out to be one of the best things in my life.
It doesn’t matter what you feel before the act, but how you feel after it.
“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not exist at present, and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.” — Will Smith
Don’t fight your fears, face them. Acknowledge your fears — embrace them.
The thing you fear doing, is that exact thing you should be doing. You are more capable of conquering it than you realize. Think of all the things you’ve already overcome in the past. That power can support you in facing the next struggle. You are so much stronger than fear itself.
You don’t need fear to survive, but fear needs you for its own survival.
“There is no illusion greater than fear” — Lao Tzu
Afterword
Thank you for reading. I invite you to share with me one of your biggest fears.
Once you wrote it down, you’ll realize it lost a part of its potency. Sharing it will also make you feel better.
