Tuesday, June 7, 2011

A Few Wise Words...

"Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Moment of honesty with each of you: I'm naturally on the more fearful end of the spectrum. Over the years, I've learned to talk through my fears, decide what's rational and irrational, and learn to develop self talk to address this. This has been incredibly helpful. But sometimes the fear is still there. The above quote has been an encouragement to me throughout the years as I try to face fear in the face. But WHY should we do one thing every day that scares us?

Well, I don't think there's something magical in one thing every day, nor do I think it has to be all or nothing. Do one thing every week that scares you if you'd like. I also think it's important to remember that the things that scare us can be simply making a phone call (perhaps calling a company to let them know about an incorrect charge is terrifying to you!) or emailing a friend you had a fight with last week. It can also be something big, like getting on an airplane of sky diving. It's important to face our fear so we remain free to do things in the world, instead of cutting more and more activities out, making daily living increasingly difficult. Facing the fears we have not only opens up more of the world to us, but helps us to develop courage. This helps us live life as a daring adventure

Here's a picture of one thing I've done recently that's been a little scary (and kind of fun too!):


At one point I stood at the very front of this huge crowd (of almost 50,000 people according to some reports) in the middle of a riot in Greece. While the time I was there was peaceful, some riots before had become violent...so I was a little nervous. It was fun to be there and witness history happening, and get to talk to the Greek people about their perspectives on the issues at hand. 


Now it's your turn: What things scare you (big or little)? Have you faced any of your fears lately? If so, what did you do?


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