Why start a blog? Will anyone give a rat’s a** what I have to say? Maybe. Probably not. Even so, what do I have to lose? I love writing. I love words. I love putting my thoughts into words and sharing my ideas. Does anyone else feel like writing out ideas also helps them to speak more eloquently? Does anyone else feel like writing makes their inner thoughts, emotions, and feelings more tangible and easier to understand? Things don’t seem nearly as chaotic as they do in my head the minute I write it down.

Today’s topic is taking that first leap into doing something you’ve always wanted to do, but don’t get around to it. Again, not because you don’t have the desire to do it, but because you’re scared. Or “too busy.” Or don’t feel like you have the means to do it. Or too reliant on the societal belief that going after what you want is “unrealistic.” I find myself often stuck in that mindset. It’s all based out of fear. I’m not talking about innate fear that’s used as a means of human survival. No, if there’s a bear or a tiger coming at you, fear is good and necessary. If there’s a ghost popping up in your snapchats, totally okay and normal to be a little fearful. I’m talking about the fears our minds trick us into having. Perhaps fear of failure, maybe fear of success, maybe fear of the unknown, or maybe some other extraneous fear we have buried deep inside our subconscious minds. Maybe you’ve always just wanted to go on a solo road trip, but are too scared to go anywhere alone. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be a pilot and fly planes all around the globe, but you’re afraid of heights (not likely, but maybe). Maybe you’ve always saw yourself as being the next Taylor Swift, but you’re too afraid to sing in front of people. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be an actor or actress on the big screen, but your parents told you it’s unrealistic and only a small few of people actually ever make it, so there’s no point in trying. Whatever the situation is, fear and belief systems tend to hold us back. As a girl who sometimes struggles with crippling anxiety, I can attest to the fact that most fears are completely irrational. We make excuses to not do the things we actually want to do because we feel afraid, then come up with justifications or rationalizations to make ourselves feel better about those excuses (by we, I mean me, but I think many can relate). Fear is basically a total vibe killer. Who invited fear anyway? Oh right… we all did.

If you’re reading this, I challenge you to become more aware of all of those things you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t gotten around to them. Write them down. Ask yourself if at some level, fear is getting in the way of those things. If it is something that is fear based, maybe bringing awareness to what that fear actually is will make it a little less scary.

One fear of mine… starting a blog. I felt intimidated (which I think is a subset of fear) because I had no idea how or where to start. I still really don’t know what the h*** I’m doing. I started with some research, figured out how to create one, and I’m learning as I go. I’ve come to find out that it really isn’t all that scary. And I’m really not too busy to do it. And it’s really not all that unrealistic (it might be a little challenging to gain any type of success out of it, I don’t know, but I’m just doing it for fun anyway so…).

There are many things I’d like to do, but I don’t get around to them because of some underlying fear. I hope to slowly tackle that list and do all of those things that I know would make me feel more fulfilled. I will share those experiences on this very blog! Maybe you can tackle your lists too. Let’s kick that buzz kill Fear out of our party. He (or she) is no longer welcome.