Fear…. It’s a scary thing, I’m sure we can all agree. The thing about fear is that it is the basis of why we don’t follow our dreams. We often fall into the trap of allowing ourselves to be consumed by our own fear, which stops us in our tracks. In my opinion, fear is the greatest thing. I know that statement is probably really confusing.  The feeling of fear, butterflies or anticipation is the signs of danger, a risk maybe, but most times it’s a sign that you’re brave. Brave enough to take the risk.

We obviously can’t run away from our fear so instead we should learn to face it full on. I want to bring in the phrase that is often referred to, “Fake it till you make it.” I prefer the other version of this quote. “Face it till you make it.” We have to learn to face what scares us. We need to face the fears and risks that cross the path we have decided to take in life. Once people start feeling the butterflies and anticipation though, there is hesitation in taking the jump for what is being headed for.

To be able to overcome the fear and barriers we might come across in life, we must learn to keep a good stance to the battle of success. We can’t just wait for things to get easy or fall onto our laps. It takes hard work and bravery to be able to face the hardships and defeat them. You have no idea what pleasure you can get by crushing what you fear.

People always ask me if I get scared or nervous when I get onto stage and do my talks. Well, the truth is that once I am on stage, I ride on the energy of the crowd. I kind of lose all feelings of anything basically, which sounds super strange, but I just let my words take over. Right before I speak though, I get huge waves of excitement and butterflies. I don’t really know if it is fear or nerves but the feeling is amazing. It adds to the thrill of going onto stage though, so I really don’t mind.  Of course, there has been times in my life where I have been absolutely terrified when I get left alone or get injured because of not being able to see.  Moments like these have taught me the hard way.  Taught me, the lesson I am trying to get across to you beautiful readers.

In order to round off what I have said, I just want to remind you that fear is normal. There is no shame when it comes to being afraid of certain things and there is no shame when we struggle to face our fears. We just have to remember to muster the courage inside of us to face what we fear. With fear comes courage, therefore there is not shame. Don’t be afraid of even admitting to fear. It is in ALL of us. An amazing few words by Nelson Mandela sum up what I have been trying to say. “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”