The other day, I was forced to watch "IT," one of the scariest movies of all time in my humble opinion... (I've only watched three horror movies so maybe I'm not the best person to ask).
As I was shaking, crying, and clinging onto my boyfriend's neck the whole time — don't even get me started on the jump scares or the look of that disgusting clown— I realized the whole idea of fear being stronger than you was something rather special.
If you think about it, fear plays such a large role in our lives. It's almost embedded in everything we do.
We don't go out on a limb or we don't ask out the people we like because of fear of rejection. We don't tell people how we feel because of the fear there won't be reciprocation or understanding. We don't always wear what we want to wear or act how we want to because of fear of judgement. We don't take necessary risks because we fear they won't be worth it.
We miss out on so much and don't live our full truths by letting fear replace them. We let fear trick us into thinking our truths are what we should fear.
The kids in "IT" were not afraid of the clown and he didn't kill them. What if, not being afraid to live faithfully to what we really want, we don't let our fears kill opportunities?
Because at the end of the day, we can learn so much from experiences that happen even when our worst fears come true.
Even if we face rejection, we know what it's like to then realize your own self-worth and get over it. Even if someone doesn't care back when you open up, you realize they shouldn't be in your life anymore. No more wasted time and breath. Even if you are judged, you realize those people judge themselves harder than you because they are scared of the different.
That's their fear.
And when it comes down to it, what if the worst thing is being the person that stands in your own way? Being your own ugly clown that prevents you from truly living?
You should never let fear be stronger than you. Just like a clown in the gutter, fear can try to swallow you whole.
Don't let it. Fear only has the power you give it.
Face it, embrace it and have the courage to say right back to it, "I am not afraid of you."
