Fear and consequences

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

I don't know the context of that line, so I'm going to make one up. I don't think it's the same as saying you have to face your fears--really? Stand outside in a lightning storm just to prove you can?

But I do think that when it comes to making your life take a path that means something to you--when it comes to creating a life of passion and meaning--you cannot let what scares you hold you back.

Unfortunately, I think a lot--maybe most--of us do exactly that. We are afraid to be great. Afraid that if we do this, that we will be expected to do it more than once--and what if once is all we have?

Once might be enough, you know. Harper Lee changed the world with To Kill a Mockingbird.

But worse--what if you never try? What if trying once led you to a place where doing exactly whatever it was you were meant to be doing was all that was in front of you? What if the gods were just waiting for you to be right there to shower you with blessings beyond imagining--you just had to be standing under the right waterfall thinking the right thing?

What draws you--what creates the path in front of you--is always important, or you wouldn't be doing it. I've said it before--paying the bills is a strong motivator and a great reason to do whatever it is you're doing. But somewhere in your life, immerse yourself in what matters most.