The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself

At this point in time my life is in a great state of flux. I don't know exactly how to view my situation. I am a recent graduate of Iowa State University. I graduated a semester early, and now I am trying to figure both why I chose to do that and what my next step will be. The semester may be inconsequential. Even if I would have gone a full four years I probably would find myself in this same state only four or five months down the line. What I do know is that change is hard. Comfort is, well, comfortable. The longer I wait for life to slap me in the face, the longer I will be standing in Muscatine, Iowa with an unbruised face.

I had planned to take a roadtrip to explore the world of Crossfit while in my last semester. Like many things in my life, girls, military, etc. this plan died out. Not because of a lack of desire, but instead because of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Maybe even the fear of success and what it might mean. Fear is something humans must overcome on a daily basis. It is not like I have shied away from overcoming my fears. Instead I focused on the ones that I could face without getting to far out of my own comfort zone. Now I am trying to see the error of my ways. In hopes of making good on at least some kind of roadtrip. I made a decision to commit to getting to Sunnyvale, California to explore the world around me. Why Sunnyvale? Maybe the best answer for right now is why not?

On the brink of a drastic change I was getting too far ahead of myself. This may or may not be necessary if we are to truly expect a big change to be made. It seems as if there are two paths. The Giant Leap or the baby step approach. At this juncture of my life the giant leap seems feasible. I'm young, ignorant, and green to the world around me. That being said the longer it takes to make that leap the easier it is to turn away. My parents are well mannered and cool headed people. They do a good job of pumping my brakes for both good and bad. Standing in the kitchen tonight I cried with my father over the path in front of me. What was this emotion? I honestly don't know. Anxiety, fear, doubt, and possibily love that I have for the ones around me boiling out as I attempt to break away from them in some way.

The conclusion to be drawn is that at some point you gotta let it out. Whatever "it" may be. Your love, your fear, your doubt. The only way to get it is to face it head on. Crying with my father over a beer gave me perspective on just how awesome my life has been, and how my parents love has allowed me to be so comfortable. At the same time talking through that emotion with him lets me know they support me and that being afraid is part of life. We all must face our fears and emotions and learn to deal with them or we will end up living a life without the thrill of overcoming our anxieties.

Dale Carnegie
"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."