(FEAR)ce

[Andrea Luna]

Growing up, we learn to develop fears, things that hold us back from enjoying life as much as we can. However, what if I told you that fears don't hold you back but rather empower you?

Many of us are scared of typical everyday occurrences and we've been scared since we were in diapers of these things,

fear of spiders

fear of heights

fear of the darkness

fear of clowns

fear of public speaking, etc.

But what about real fears? The kind that truly affect you well-being?

I'm talking about,

the fear of being alone

the fear of not succeeding

the fear of doing something wrong

the fear of not being enough.

We have been taught to view fears as something inevitable, something beyond our control, and as much as someone says "face your fears" we THINK that we can't. (or we're too scared to)

-you're scared of being alone?

DON'T. Sometimes you need to learn to love yourself and succeed on your own before you are ever ready to take on the world with someone else. Figuring yourself out is key in life.

-you're scared of not being successful?

DON'T. To be a successful person, you must think like a successful person. Take the reigns on your career, take the lead, be curious, try new things. Picture a future for yourself and chase after it, nothing is impossible.

-You're scared of doing something wrong?

DON'T. Mistakes are human. Life is about trial and error, we are allowed mistakes. If the greatest minds have made mistakes and succeeded, then we can all do it.

-You're scared of not being enough?

DON'T. Because you're more than enough and you don't need anybody to validate that for you besides yourself.

I encourage all of you to take your fears, one by one, and question them. Question yourself as to why you're scared of them, what intimidates you about them? and GROW. Learn to grow from your fears, learn to overcome whatever stands in your way, and learn from yourself.

*REMEMBER: no one dictates your future, except yourself.