Franklin D. Roosevelt gave us the most amazing quote in 1933 when he took office as the President of the United States during the most extreme time of the depression era. Knowing how scared and worried the American people were, but also knowing the strength the nation was capable of, if the people pushed through that fear, he stood before the nation and gave us the gift of the most amazing advice about fear in general. One sentence stood out in his speech that has been taken and used for motivation time and time again.

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D Roosevelt, 1933

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I have a confession to make. I have been afraid most of my life to do big things that could bring amazing things into my existence. I have been afraid to choose the path that is unfamiliar. I have turned around at road blocks even though I had the strength to blaze through them, because I had no control over what was on the other side. I have shied away from people, places, and things all because they weren’t part of my norm and I was scared of anything new. I HAVE LET FEAR RULE MY LIFE.

That all changed 6 years ago when I was FORCED into the unknown, the uncomfortable, and the uncontrollable. (Divorce, living alone the first time in my life, supporting myself with no help, letting my son stay with his dad, and all with no transportation!) The option to stay wasn’t an option, so I had to jump! I was scared as hell and there was no safety net, such as my parents who had passed, to catch me. It was messy, it was grasping at straws, it was desperation, it was a struggle, and then there was the BIGGEST glow-up and accomplishment of my entire 40 yrs! Quickly, after pushing through the fear and obstacles, my life had one amazing event after another, opportunities surrounded me, love hit me like a ton of bricks, and everything I never knew I needed landed almost on my doorstep! If I had been “too scared” and just continued with what was easy, comfortable, and expected I would not be here typing this blog.

The kick back that I got from that very first time of facing fear got me addicted! I began looking for the hard choices, the scary conversations, and the things that scared the hell out of me. Each and every time I have faced a fear, amazing things have happened after. Our biggest chances to face fear come when we are in the middle of chaos. When life sucks and we feel we are defeated, there is always a scary choice we can make. You will have to look for it because your consciousness won’t want to just see it right away and you will have to be super brave because it will more than likely be the one thing you don’t want to do. See, that is what holds most people back from the amazing benefits of pushing through fear; what we WANT is the easy way and what we NEED takes work and is full of unknowns.

Fear, as a general emotion, serves a super important function. Fear helps us know something doesn’t feel right and we need to have our guard up or leave the area. Fear is the instinct that helps protect us from danger and has been helpful in keeping the human species flourishing. (Can you imagine walking up to a Saber Tooth Tiger as a caveman and wanting to pet the kitty?? NO WAY!! Fear kicked in and the cavemen acted appropriately! Then most likely snuck back and hunted it for dinner! Haha) I am not in any way telling you to ignore all fear. I am asking you to recognize it and take a moment to digest what is it about? Are you in danger? Could what you’re about to do be dangerous? Is there risk of harm to you? If the answer is no, then dig deeper. Am I scared because this is new? Am I wanting to run because this is hard? Is this not the plan I envisioned & I am in fear of the unknown? If the answer is yes to any those, DO THE DAMN THING!

The fact is, life rarely is what we pictured it to be. When we sit in our rooms as teens we have this idea of what we want our adult selves to be. It usually includes higher learning if desired, a certain job, possibly a partner, and maybe some kids. We cook up the “perfect plan” to get there and many sit in a guidance counselors office in high school and map it all out. There is nothing wrong with this, and some even live the very life they imagined. “Some” being the operative word. Most of us are out here not being the astronaut they thought they would be as a kid, haven’t went to college to be a teacher like they planned in middle school, and not in a house with a white picket fence as they dreamed in high school. We didn’t go wrong in dreaming and it is super important to think about your future. What you CAN NOT plan for is the people you may meet that steer you into new horizons. You CAN NOT foresee circumstances that arise do to others actions that affect your personal journey. When things that are out of your control divert your path to a place, person, or situation that wasn’t part of your plan, it may be that you’re meant to take a different path. You’re not being led to give up on your goal, you’re being told there is a better way.

If you are facing a hard decision right now and fear is one of the things that is at the forefront, you are thinking I am completely crazy and one of those motivational bloggers who are just trying to push you. Well, your right! I am straight up actually daring you to choose what is on the other side of fear. I am asking you to trust God, the Universe, or whatever you believe in. Trust that the challenge at hand has purpose. Trust that your highest good is always in play. Trust YOURSELF to have the strength, courage and ability to push through the fear and grow from it. Trust in that growth and see how it is preparing you to reach your end goal. Each and every decision we make we are being given the opportunity to become the person we will be when our dreams become reality. If you don’t grow, those dreams very well could just stay dreams. (Or worse! You could be given everything you want before your ready and your dream could become your nightmare)

In conclusion, if you are new to facing fear I understand you are in complete denial of the opportunities and unexpected blessings that are on the other side of the scary choices. I was you and also didn’t believe! I know I am also probably coming across as one of those people who are just pushing you towards the uncomfortable and promising rewards YOU don’t know if you will actually receive! Again, I didn’t like having to choose the hard thing without knowing for sure if there were blessings afterwards either. The ONLY way to know if what I am saying is true, is if you DO THE DAMN THING! If you have gone through the above questions and are not in any actual danger, what do you have to loose? Growth, lessons, experiences, tools, stamina, bravery, and accomplishment are the worse case scenario. So…Who’s jumping???

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