Most of the time the biggest thing that is holding us back from doing something we want to do but are afraid to is indeed ourselves. We make of this story in our heads of the worst case scenario and then talk ourselves out of doing whatever it is that we were considering.
Let me give you a prime example.
I wanted to go back to Crossfit. My brother just went to Marine Corps Boot camp and I made a bet with him to see who would be in the best shape when he got back (we obviously know who will win this bet). Although I am not out of shape, I am definitely not having daily Marine Corps PT sessions either. He left beginning of December and I have been telling myself for over a month that in order to get in the shape I want to get in I am going to need a little help from my friends, my lovely friends at Crossfit that is. Well the Holidays came and went, a bad cold came and went, and suddenly I no longer had an excuse of why I was not going to get my butt up and go to Crossfit.
So, I made the commitment, I told people I was going there so that I could hold myself accountable to- “now you have to do it”.
Now let me tell you, I am not a nervous person. I don’t get nervous when I am speaking to a room full of business men and women trying to convince them to invest in my company, I don’t get nervous during job interviews, and I don’t get nervous giving a TED talk in front of hundreds of people. Today I was nervous though. I had sweat running down my arms just thinking of having to go to Crossfit later. I built up this whole story in my head about how horrible it was going to be and how silly I was going to look starting from square one again.
Boy was I wrong. In every single possible way. My workout was amazing (although very hard), the coaches were amazing, the people were amazing, and the fact that I got there and did the thing was pretty amazing.
My point is, even when you think it is going to be the most miserable thing of your life, you’re probably wrong. In fact, most definitely wrong. The worst case scenario really isn’t not being able to put any weight on your bar because you’re not strong enough yet. The worst case scenario truly is not doing something at all because you are being consumed by fear. A fear that you have created.
In fact, that fear that you have given birth to is holding you back. Which means a part of you is holding yourself back from being the best version of you. Messed up right. It is almost like you are running full speed towards something that you really want in life, yet you also attached a bungee cord. You are protecting yourself from that imaginary worst case scenario and while you are doing that you are also ruining your life. Maybe that sounds a little dramatic but it is true. Your life will not be the same if you continue to hold yourself back. So let it go, let go of the fear, detach the bungee cord, and go for it. You deserve to live a life free of fear.
Scare Your Soul, because there are men and women out there scaring their soul everyday so that we can live a life free of fear. Semper Fi.
Originally published at medium.com