Dec 6, 2017-
A few years ago my family was running late leaving the house. I was trying to rush them when someone yelled back, “Stop rushing us! We aren’t ready yet!” Does this sound familiar to you? Odds are, everyone has had this happen in their life.
Me, being the angsty teenager I was (…well I guess that should be “angsty teenager I AM” since I’m still 19) mumbled under my breath “If we wait till we are ready, we’ll be waiting the rest of our lives.” I then instantly tweeted that thought because, TALK ABOUT DEEP!
I then thought about how many times that tweet has applied to ALL aspects of my life.
THIS HAPPENS TO US EVERYDAY!
“I can’t start my own business, I’m not ready for that yet”
“Marriage is out of the picture, we are too young, we aren’t ready for that kind of commitment”
“Me? Ready to start seriously dating? I still need to work on myself first.”
“I can’t move away, I need to have at least $10k saved before I’ll be ready”
THIS IS 2017. We live in a time where we supposedly “make things happen,” BUT we can’t make things happen if we are too scared to take that first step.
What is it that holds us back?
F-E-A-R
Thats right… the real F word.
Back in high school, I LOVED volleyball. However, I didnt handle pressure well. I was always so scared of messing up that I would overthink everything which resulted in the very thing I was most scared of – failure. In doing so I was ALWAYS benched. I hated it. All season every season I never started, I got pulled out as soon as I went in and it slowly made me hate the game, and grow bitter towards the players who were doing well. When we would lose a game that I wasn’t able to play in, it would lead me to think, “What if I had been able to go in that game and did really well? Would my team have done better? Or would I have messed up?” That regret ate away at me and slowly killed my confidence to the point where I quit the game I once loved.
I LET FEAR DICTATE MY LIFE! I WASN’T LIVING. That snuck into a lot of other areas of my life. Fear held me back from so so so many good things.
Then one day, I decided, this is MY life and fear has no place in it. I started acting on the things that scared me most. I stood up to people, gained a voice and took my life by the horns and owned it.
Terry Cruz was once asked his favorite quote to which he responded:
“God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
He continues, “I love this quote because it is all about defeating fear. Every great and extraordinary accomplishment in this world was done through courage. Hell, you don’t even get to be born unless your mother has the courage to have you. I repeat this phrase when I’m anxious or nervous about something. I ask myself, what’s the worst that can happen. Usually, the answer is, “You can die.” Then I answer back, ‘I’d rather die doing something I feel is great and amazing rather than be safe and comfortable living a life I hate.’ I talk to myself a lot, and this quote helps me sort out my fears and deal with them. The more you run from your fears, the bigger they get, but the more you go into them, the more they tend to vanish like a mirage.”
Whether you are religious or not, know this- “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:6–7.)
Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Who among us can say that he or she has not felt fear? I know of no one who has been entirely spared. Some, of course, experience fear to a greater degree than do others. Some are able to rise above it quickly, but others are trapped and pulled down by it and even driven to defeat. We suffer from the fear of ridicule, the fear of failure, the fear of loneliness, the fear of ignorance. Some fear the present, some the future. Some carry the burden of sin and would give almost anything to unshackle themselves from those burdens but fear to change their lives. Let us recognize that fear comes not of God, but rather that this gnawing, destructive element comes from the adversary of truth and righteousness. Fear is the antithesis of faith. It is corrosive in its effects, even deadly.
‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’” (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/10/god-hath-not-given-us-the-spirit-of-fear?lang=eng)
Guys! If you are letting fear run your life, you aren’t in control anymore! You are letting the adversary sneak in and decide things for you! It’s laid out blatantly right there- all good things come from God and God has given us POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND. Does that not pump you up? Knowing God is literally GIVING YOU POWER! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!
Anyways, I went off on a tangent. BUT I guess what I’m saying is, just get started. Kick fear out of your life and just do the thing that scare you.
Picture this- you are a boxer. You’re about to go into the match of your lifetime. Your opponent seems like they could squish you just with a glance of the eye. But, you know that you HAVE to win. This fight is more than just for the money. It’s to help you grow your confidence, it’s to respect your family name, it’s to prove to everyone an underdog can win. NOW IS THE TIME TO GIVE IT EVERYTHING. Your heart is beating, time slows down, and the moment hits you. This is it and you’re terrified. THEN, you hear the bell ring- DING! The fight has started. What do you do?
JUST GET IN AND RELISH IN THE FIGHT! Your fear disappears the second you get into the ring and you give it everything you have.
Guys. This boxing match is LIFE IN 2017! If you don’t stay in the fight, you’ll be like high school me – full of regret and never knowing the answer to your “what if’s?”
Coming from someone who gave in to fear A LOT – The sidelines are UNFULFILLING.
Do the thing that scares you, even if you aren’t ready. You’ll never be ready. IF YOU WAIT TILL YOURE READY YOULL BE WAITING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. The time will never be perfect, but you have to remember, you don’t have a lot of time. Our lives are SO SHORT! TOO SHORT to have spent it all waiting for the moment where things would be ideal. GO FOR IT NOW.
Start the business!
Seal the deal and get married!
You are good enough! Go out and date!
Make the move!
DO THE THING THAT SCARES YOU. Don’t wait. One day you’ll look back and regret the chance you didn’t take if you don’t act NOW.
