Punching Fear Right in the Face

Fear.

Fear is something that has always crippled me in many areas of my life. I'm scared of putting myself out there or embarrassing myself. More often than not, I worry about what others are thinking of me. I hate trying new things especially when I am terrible at them. This may stem from some of the teasing and bullying I experienced growing up but it's also just a part of my personality. I was never someone who was smart without trying, talented at many different sports, or someone who was truly gifted in one area. As I grow up however, I have learned that people are far too worried about their own issues to pay any attention to you. I've learned that it's okay to try something and fail in epic proportions. I've also learned that if I live my whole life crippled by fear, I will look back and be full of regret. I have slowly tried to make strides in the right direction with this issue doing things like joining a bowling league with Brandon and getting certified as a Fitness Instructor. Sure, I may not be the best bowler or a world top trainer but I must admit I ENJOY these things. I am so glad I am learning to take small leaps of faith.

For example, this month alone, I have let go of my fear of the squat rack at the gym and my fear of running. The squat rack has always intimidated me since usually it's surrounded by a bunch of meat heads who have nothing better to do than gawk. But to hell with it, I put in my headphones, put some weight on the bar, and squatted/dead-lifted until my heart was content. I felt strong and best of all, I felt empowered! Then on Monday this week I faced my fear of running. I mean, I have run before obviously but it's always been something that scares me. I'm not a fast runner or a particularly good runner per say. But somehow on Monday, I told myself I was going to run a mile straight (which is a huge deal for me). So I upped the speed on the treadmill and let myself get lost in my music and I just ran. Nothing impressive, I think it was around an 11 minute mile. But the point is, I did it!

What fears have you faced lately?

Here is to making 2016 a year of punching our fears in the face!