I began running this week after a boring yet much needed two weeks off. Taking this much time off from something you love is very difficult if you have ever tried it. I can only really relate it to something like not having coffee for two weeks or your best friend going on some exotic vacation. So, I had to distract my mind with something else.
At first, I spent my extra time hanging out with my friends and family, reading and writing, finding new music on Spotify and getting extra sleep at night. However, after awhile, my active mind began to wander.
I was spending some time on Pinterest one morning when I came across this question "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" It was a very timely question because I had just finished a very tough cross country season where failure to meet my goals was more prevalent than achieving them. I had been questioning why it did not go exactly the way I had planned. Was I not eating the right foods? Getting enough sleep? Training hard enough? No. Did I not believe in myself? Maybe. Did I not trust myself and my hard work? I really don't know. But then it hit me, maybe I was afraid to fail.
In life, we set standards and we discuss our lives and how they played out based off of those standards and whether we met them or not. We do this because we know that if we don't meet them, that label of "failure" is put on us and failure means disappointment. For anyone who has ever dealt with this, you know that it sucks. It absolutely sucks. So, a lot of us don't even attempt to reach for the highest goals.
You see, some of the best accomplishments in my life came from times where I was not afraid. I handled the pressure and used it to have a positive outcome. When my cross country team won the state championship in 2017, not a single one of us was afraid. We were gritty and trusted in one another. When I finally got a good grade on my chemistry test, it wasn't just because I studied hard. I trusted in the fact that I was prepared. When I faced my fear of leaving home for a long time, for a spiritual retreat, I trusted in the fact that everything would be okay. I am going to have to face that fear again when I leave for college, but I am trusting that in doing this, I am going to achieve my biggest dreams. But I/you can't have fear. Fear kills dreams and we all have dreams that we want to make a reality. Trust in your bada$$ self!
That is where this question comes in. What if, no matter what, you could not fail? What would you do? Would you sum up some courage and finally ask out that guy/girl you like? Would you finally ask for the help you needed? Would you apply to that college? Would you apply for that job? Ask yourself this question and take a moment to come up with an answer.
Whatever your answer may be, go and do it. The things that we want the most in life are normally the things we are most scared to go out and do. With that, those things that we are really scared to do, are normally the things separating us from greatness. At the end of the day, you should feel like you did not hold back. Face your fears. Be bold. Nothing is more admirable than being someone who is not afraid. Do not be chained down by the things that scare you. You have control and your highest potential or greatest moment in life may be just around the corner.
Challenge: Do one thing that scares you each day this week and share your experience with others!
See you next week,
Lo
Song of the Week: Mirror By IDER
Book of the week: Down and Across By: Arvin Ahmadi
Quote of the week: "Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream no one can see but you"-Unknown
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