“Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. … Nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as believing that I’m standing on the outside of my life looking in and wondering what it would be like if I had the courage to show up and let myself be seen.” –Brene Brown
People are always saying we need to “punch fear in the face,” and I disagree. Especially for those of us who struggle with anxiety, no. You don’t “defeat” your fear. You acknowledge it, and you say, “my desire to do this thing is bigger than my fear,” and you push forward.
I’m not exactly a thrill-seeker, but I’ve done my share of finding the courage to move forward despite fear: finding the courage to press publish on my books and forge my own path as an indie author sometimes still scares the crap out of me, but I move forward. The first time I went to a country where I didn’t speak the language, that was scary, but I got to have these amazing experiences (such as climbing to the ruins of an old, long-abandoned castle, looking down on this sleepy little village that was straight of out a fairytale).
I think of this often. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and realize I let fear stop me from pursuing a dream, of being real and authentic, of living the life I’ve chosen instead of what I thought others expected of me.