What Are You Afraid Of?

There are the common fears – fear of failure, fear of acceptance, fear of dying, fear of public speaking. Then there are the phobias of flying, heights, snakes, bugs, etc. that list is endless. Our Society spends a lot of time and energy on fear. Just look at the headlines.

Fear of failure has been big for me. Getting a divorce devastated me. It was hard to admit I made a mistake of that magnitude. I keep reminding myself that I am human, mistakes are allowed. As I get older, I accept that failure is part of life. I have learned that life still goes on, with or without me. I might as well accept it and move on. I cannot let fear run my life.

Another fear that I have – is not living my life to the fullest. I was frustrated when the regulations regarding COVID came into play. We take risks every single day. Death is the only thing guaranteed in life. Yes, I want to be cautious, but to what extent. I watched my mom face cancer and I wonder if the cure was worse than the disease. When it comes to death my goal was to stay alive until my boys were on their own, any time after that is a gift. I have passed that point, so now I focus on how to spend my gift of time.

I have also learned that courage is facing my fear and doing it anyway. Facing it provides relief and develops confidence. When I fear something, I look to the other side. I focus on how I will feel when I face this fear. There is nothing to fear except fear itself.