Late last year, I read this post which brought to light something that I had been struggling with but hadn't had the the guts to confront. Do you sometimes act out of fear? Do you sometimes say yes because you are afraid of the consequences your no will have? When I stopped to think about my actions over the last couple of years, I was shocked to find that there are times when I actually stuck through something because I was afraid of what the other person would think of me if I said no or of hurting their feelings.
`Fear, even subconscious fear, has a way of sneaking in and running our lives. In my case, I noticed that out of fear of being alone, I stuck through friendships that were to say the least bad. Out of fear of the unknown, I took much longer to put my all into my passions and I ended up constantly thinking about abandoning my dreams and going mainstream. Out of fear of being misunderstood, I sometimes shied away from saying exactly what I meant or felt in any given situation. I sometimes hid my hurt behind a smile.
But this year, I have decided not to act out of fear. I want to be intentional: speaking up in whichever circumstances, doing what I love even though I may not have a clear path to follow and letting go of those friendships that add no value to my or the other person's life.
Are you struggling with fear? What steps are you taking to ensure you do not leave your life out of fear?
