“Real courage is being afraid but doing it anyway.” ― Oprah Winfrey.
Well, that’s all well and good, but I’m scared.
I’m scared of what people will think of me if I try and my first attempt isn’t perfect.
I’m scared of what my parents will think, do, and say.
I’m scared of ridicule, failure, and regret.
And more than anything: I’m afraid I might be wildly successful.
That last one freaks me out the most.
After suffering from years of anxiety, depression, and burn out; I figured out that being a perfectionist isn’t the most effective or healthy way for me to label myself or the best way to live my life. So now, I’m what I like to call a “recovering perfectionist.”
I’ve worked on this. I really have, and trying to be just a little more efficient in how I do everything seems to keep creeping back into my life. And that’s not a bad thing! Unless it causes decision paralysis, me spinning in circles accomplishing nothing, intense overanalyzing, and debilitating anxiety.
“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” ― Benjamin Mee
Guess how I got to where I am? A lot of 20 second intervals. And somehow, with every step forward, the next step that would have been unthinkable a few months or years ago is suddenly not as big of a deal. It’s now doable.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you can do it. At the very least, you can try to do it. And if you fail, you’ll be a stronger, wiser, and likely better version of yourself than you are right now.
So guess what? I’m scared out of my mind, and I’m doing the thing anyway. Not just today, but I intend to continue to keep doing the scary things, because the one thing I’m more afraid of than failure is regret.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.” - Mark Twain
If you would like some help with finally doing the scary thing in your relationship or your life, send me a message at the link below.
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