With two cups firmly in hand, breathe held and confidence, my roommate attempts to trap the lizard crawling around the kitchen sink. Meanwhile scaredy-cat me is all hands on deck, covering my mouth and heart pounding on top of the kitchen table. Terrified, if you can't tell from the kinda embarrassing, yet hilarious description of a grown woman hiding from a baby lizard.
"Why am I so scared of this thing?" I say aloud.
"I use to catch frogs when I was a kid."
"EW, frogs!" My roommate exclaims looking back at me with a disgusted glare.
"I'd be scared if one of those came up in here."
This monumental moment in our friendship really got me thinking. What determines fear? At what point in my life did I develop this fear of lizards? As a child you couldn't find me unless you were ankle deep in some mud hole or dirt pile or even high up in some tree in my grandmother's back yard, but now-a-days that's most likely the last place you'll find me.
As a fearless adventurer of a child, I wasn't really afraid of anything. I could do anything with no hesitation, talk to any stranger with no worry of what they would say back. Have you ever experienced the innocence of children? They are truly fearless. Think about it, children will literally do or say anything with no regard to any consequences. They just go with the first thing that they set there minds on. Adults on the other hand are quite the opposite. So I ask myself this question again, at what point in my life did I become afraid?
It's about more than this lizard that mildly attacked my kitchen sink. Yeah, no, it's deeper than that; the bigger things in life that I'm afraid of. The fears I face on a daily basis, including rejection and always being afraid of what others will think of me. I never used to be afraid of trying new things or experiencing new places but Ive somehow closed my mind and instead, developed this love for my comfort zone. How different would my life be if I never allowed fear to cripple me. If I never allowed fear to steer me into the direction of my safe zone. I wouldn't care so much about what others thought of me, instead I would live my life for me, fearless of failure, not afraid to be cast out of the crowd or looked at differently. I could stand up for what I believed in. With the innocence of a child I could say and do me with no fear of rejection.
Think about if we all did this. How many more amazing people would I have in my life If I wasn't afraid to go talk to that stranger across the room with the cute outfit and the awesome hair. Where would I be professionally if I wasn't afraid to stand up for myself. How much closer would I be with my current friends or family If I wasn't afraid to let them in my life, afraid I wouldn't be good enough for them. Where did this all start? At what point in my life did I develop this habit of fear and Is fear something you can let go? Is it possible for me to not be afraid of something that I've somehow told myself I was afraid of for so long? I don't know about you but I would prefer a fearless me. A fearless mind, body and soul. Maybe there's a whole other world out there waiting for me to discover it, waiting for me to face it head on. You gotta be willing it try, you have to let go of fear if you are ever going to make something out of your life. So today I'll strive to become fearless. I'll take that leap out of my comfort zone and follow the path of the braver. Will you?
