Uses for Fear

Monday mornings are always a little slow to start for me. Because I usually take a little while for my brain to boot up, it gives me a chance to listen to some calmer music, get my thoughts in line, and sip at some tea at it's intended temperature (instead of forgetting I have a cup and ending up with that gross lukewarm temperature). I decided that this setup would be perfect for me to write about a little heavier topics, about things happening in my life, or my opinion on certain topics. If you're not looking to read what will probably be fairly rant-y or repetitive (Look, blog name!), you might want to avoid Monday posts. But these posts in particular are how I process, and I've been told that my ranting have helped every now and then.

Something that I've heard before is that "You should never be afraid". This gets applied to a lot of situations, don't be afraid to try, to fail, to put yourself out there. There are lots of circumstances that you're not "supposed" to be afraid. The truth is, people are only human. Fear is what has kept people alive for so long and caused us to evolve to the point that we currently are at. Fear keeps you from doing something that could hurt you, kill you, and leave you in a place you really don't want to be in.

It has it's uses, for sure. It gives us those shots of adrenaline that help us accomplish things we didn't know we could do. It causes you to think about what you're doing, to weigh the outcomes. But what fear should not do is stop you from living. I'm not saying that you should just do whatever pops into your mind, regardless of consequence. Fighting a bear probably won't end well for you. What I am saying is that if you let become a CONTROLLING factor in your life, you will not move forward. Life is about taking those calculated risks and either gaining something or learning from your decisions. If you ask out that cute guy/girl/person, they might say no, and yeah getting rejected sucks. But they might say yes. They might end up being the person you marry. You could end up spending the rest of your life with that random person you saw at the bus stop.

Fear should be a tempering force, not a limiting one. If you don't take risks in life, you won't move forward. Living a life that is stagnant, where nothing changes for better or worse, isn't living. It's something that I have massive anxiety about for no particular reason. But you can overcome your fears. Speaking from experience, my own life has vastly improved because I stopped being afraid of people's judgements of my life. I embrace the mistakes I've made, focused on what I learned from them instead. I've made leaps of faith that haven't worked out so great, but I'm still here, I'm still moving forward.

Take the chance, see where you end up in life. You either win or you learn. Don't let fear control you, let it help you.

Toodles