What are you afraid of?
Happy Saturday, fam! Have you ever been afraid to do something, and you aren't sure why? Or are you afraid of doing something, and you know precisely why you are so scared? I'm not talking about being fearful of "normal" things like roller coasters, heights, spiders, or ants--like my daughter (yes, she's afraid of ants). I'm talking about the kind of fear that keeps us quiet when we should speak up, the fear that stops us from pursuing our dreams when we should be moving forward and prevents us from walking in our destiny. When I was a little girl, my dad and I moved a lot. I don't think I attended any school for more than two years. I was always the new girl and didn't participate in many activities because I was shy. In hindsight, of course, I should have participated, and it would have been fine. But hindsight can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because you learn a lesson, but a curse because you can't rewind time. Giving in to collective fears like "I'm not good enough" or "nobody will like my work" or "what will people think?" are all worries that can prevent us from being great. Think about that. It's not because you aren't a talented writer or because you don't have a beautiful voice or aren't smart enough to get the job done. The single thing that is keeping you from your breakthrough is…you. Take some time to look back (even if it's recent) and try to figure out what caused your fear. Then recall that incident or that place or even that person who caused you to be afraid. Doing so will give you new peace and new confidence. It's not an end-all for overcoming your fear, but it will be the first step in moving on from it.
Write on,
Tamika