Thinking less and living more is advice that I have heard my entire life and yet have never followed. It is one of those things that I always feared. It seemed like such an intimidating concept and it turns my stomach to knots. I am the type of person that prefers to hang back and observe rather than engage. Every single person on this earth has faults and this is mine. I am a naturally shy person who is not exactly assertive. I believe that my shyness stems from fear of rejection or embarrassment. I would much rather sit one out and not experience things at all out of fear of it ending disastrous.

I believe that I am most definitely my toughest critic. My entire life I have struggled with not succeeding with something on the first or second try. I have a warped vision of how good I should be at something and if I can't get it right then I have completely failed. I know that may sound ridiculous but it's how I have always seen things.

The great thing about being human is that you have the ability to change. I have come to realize as of late that I need a transformation, or at least a shift. I know that I cannot continue to be held back by this fear because I am missing out on life. I recognize that I cannot keep being too afraid to try new things or experience these things that I have spent so much time trying to put off because I am a bit terrified. I have to start being courageous and just do things that I normally wouldn't.It's not something I expect to occur overnight. One does not just completely change themselves with a snap of their fingers. If it were that easy I would have done it long ago. Instead it is a long process of tiny steps that will hopefully and eventually lead to a more confident self. People always say that acceptance is half the battle, and I fully agree with that statement. It takes more than accepting a fault or flaw. I have to put into action my plan to overcome my fear. I think that there are so many incredible experiences waiting for me out in the world. I just need to find that 20 seconds of insane courage to push me to succeed.

The saying, "Grab life by the horns" is exactly what it sounds like, pretty damn hard. But the struggle is what makes it all worth it and will make me grow to become the person I want to be. The end of my comfort zone is now.

I hope that this can resonate with anyone that struggles with being their own toughest critic and can find the courage and ability to change their lives for the better.