What’s holding you back from living the life you desire? What has your courage caged? Fear will cheat you out of the best things in life if you let it. I know that in 10 years from now, I don’t want to look back on my life wishing I took the opportunity to do something because, in life, you only regret the chances you don’t take. It’s easy to get tangled in your thoughts when everything around you seems too overwhelming to bear.
Time is fickle and there will never be the perfect moment; so bite the bullet. It could be your best decision or your biggest lesson, but either way, you win. I used to think that the easiest thing to do was to wait until I was “ready,” but there came a time that I realized that “someday” is today. Life doesn’t wait for you; it will happen whether you are ready for it or not. It’s hard to keep up in the midst of chaos, so will we fall behind at times? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean we should stay behind and watch life happen without us.
The older I get, the more I realize that nothing ever comes easy in life. I’ve had to work to get to where I am today and it definitely wasn’t always smooth sailing. Leaving a job that I was comfortable in and familiar with to pursue another one, hoping it will advance me in my career, did leave me feeling uneasy. However, I had put in a lot of work and effort to even be offered the new opportunity. The possibility of not excelling and advancing in this new job did make me worry and doubt if I made the right decision, but I soon realized that the change I made was necessary for my growth. I can confidently say I’m happy that I jumped on the opportunity when I got the chance instead of letting it pass me by. I realized that familiarity isn’t always what’s best, it’s what’s easy. If you want something, you have to work towards it. Put in the time and the effort and don’t forget why you’re doing it in the first place. Live a life that you will be satisfied with — not one that is full of ‘would haves’ and ‘could haves.’ Remember that not taking the risk is a risk in itself. Think about what you would do if fear wasn’t holding you back; then do it. No matter the outcome, chances are that you will be glad that you tried. It’s simple: go after what you want or you’ll never have it. I had to change my mentality to understand that I was my only barrier.
Realistically, life won’t always go as planned, nor will everything work out in your favor, but that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. I know first hand that there will be roadblocks along the way, things that will slow you down or even try to stop you, but persistence is key. What you should fear the most is never knowing — not the unknown.
