I cannot tell you all how many times I have let fear stop me. I let fear stop me from ending a relationship. I let fear stop me from putting myself out there, and telling someone how I really felt. When I was a gymnast, I let fear stop me from trying skills I really wanted to perform. There have been many times I have second guessed myself and chosen not to speak up when I knew the information, or had a valid point. This year, 2013, I have decided to be different. I have decided to go after things that are important to me, things that challenge me. I have decided not to second guess myself. I have decided to be confident, and believe in myself, but most importantly, I have decided to learn how to be fearless.
This blog is meant to follow me on my journey where I am learning how to be fearless, and in the process, hopefully discovering who I am, and determining who and what I want to become.
I believe that being fearless is doing what you want even if you are afraid. It is being able to stand up for what you believe in even if you are standing alone. It is speaking out if you disagree with a situation and how it is being handled. Being fearless is having the courage to stick to your guns, and not change who you are to fit in. It is standing out, falling in love, being single. It is starting over after a break up, or a missed opportunity you were really counting on. If you are fearless, you are stepping out of your comfort zone, challenging your beliefs and actions, as well as the beliefs and actions of those around you. Life is going to throw obstacles your way no matter what you do. Being fearless is dealing with those obstacles with grace and maturity. Fearless is when Blair Waldorf says she is not a stop along the way, but a destination, and does everything in her power to make that happen (even if I don't agree with some of her methods of getting there.) It is going after your dreams, listening to your heart, going after all the things we are way too scared to ever think we will make possible.
My goal is not to succumb to my fears when at all possible. Now, I know that I will succumb to my fears, and I know I will make mistakes. After all, I am only human. I won't become fearless overnight. Who's to say I will ever really become completely fearless? To be honest, I probably won't. But, that's not the point. The point is that fearlessness is a learning process just like life is. As long as I keep learning, keep growing, I will be presented with the opportunity to learn to conquer my fears.
When someone looks at my life in the future, my goal is to make them stop and say "Hey! This girl really made a difference. I'll bet she didn't get to where she was by chickening out! I want to be like her." I want to inspire people, and that is what this blog, I hope, will do. I hope people will learn from my mistakes, and I hope people will learn to be fearless right there with me. It is going to take time. It will be a process. There will be failures along the way, but that is the way life is supposed to be lived. Taking risks, and not playing it safe, really trying to make a difference in the world. That is my challenge. This is my journey. I hope you will take this journey with me.
Fearlessly yours!
-Emily
