Dealing with Fear!

Pauline Victoria

I was recently exploring the fear factor. Fear is inevitable. But, I realized there are different kinds of fears. Some fears paralyze us and some fears push us to our potential. In looking at my own fear, I discovered that the fears I had actually pushed me to reach my full potential in embracing life.

The fear of being left on the sidelines of life was bigger than my fear of stretching out of my comfort zone. Up until I was 12 years old, I spent the summer on the steps of a swimming pool as my friends played in the deep end. I had it. I was tired of being left in the shallow end. So I was faced with a choice: do I play it safe and stay on the side steps of the shallow end or do I risk drowning as I learn to swim? I was more afraid of not being able to participate fully than I was of drowning. And so that fear of not being able to be free pushed me toward taking the risks. Day after day, gulp after gulp, I forged ahead and finally figured out how to swim and become free to play fully.

People face their fear of the unknown in order to put to rest their other fears. People leave their house not knowing what could happen rather than be isolated, people fly in planes trusting strangers with multiple lives rather than not experience adventure, people drive not knowing whether or not they could get in an accident rather than not have the freedom to go when and where they please, people allow themselves to fall in love whether or not they know if their heart will be broken rather than be alone.
Congratulations on facing your fears!

In every situation when you are faced with being paralyzed or pushed, ask yourself which fear is stronger: the fear of playing it safe to merely survive or the fear of taking some risks to truly live?

You may wonder why I posted this article. Pauline was born with no arms and no legs. Check out your website… it is inspirational!
www.paulinevictoria.com