Approximate Reading time: 4 mins
Fear steals our dreams.
Maybe I should rephrase that statement. More appropriately stated; all too often, we allow fear to steal our dreams. What brought that fact into focus for me? It goes back quite a few years and starts with a gift that I received from Brian.
The gift
Can you relate to a gift so unexpected that your appreciation for the gift automatically increases?
For my fortieth birthday my husband, Brian, surprised me with a diamond tennis bracelet.
Diamond tennis bracelets aren’t the norm for us. Such a gift wasn’t even on my radar. The fact that Brian took the initiative to find and purchase such a generous gift made it even more special to me.
And then the worst happened
Less than a year later, after exiting the airport, I happened to look down and realize that, yes, my beloved bracelet was gone.
The feeling of dread was so intense I thought I was going to be sick.
Automatically I searched everywhere, even calling the hotel where I stayed.
No luck. It was gone for good.
Of course, I had to fess up.
That phone call, made from the airport parking lot to get it over with, was definitely difficult to make.
In true Brian fashion, his response was, “those things happen”.
Brian was kind but my guilt was intense.
A few years later, another gift
A few years later, I opened yet another diamond tennis bracelet. Just as pretty, just as unexpected, just as treasured.
After admiring and exclaiming over the replacement bracelet, I put it back in the pretty box and tucked it away in my dresser drawer. No way was I going to take a chance of losing another bracelet.
Until this happened
Just recently, ironically, at the same exact airport, I looked over at the lady beside me who was wearing such a pretty diamond tennis bracelet. While admiring it I said to myself, “I have one of those. It is home in my drawer where I can’t lose it.”
I knew I had made a monumental mistake
At that exact moment, I knew I had made a monumental mistake. For almost ten years that gift had been laying in my drawer simply to ensure it wouldn’t be lost. I wore it, maybe, two times in that ten years. What good is a gift if I choose to not enjoy it? If I didn’t wear the bracelet and enjoy it, who would? (Eventually one of my daughters!)
A shift in thinking
Right then and right there, I had a shift in thinking. I had allowed fear to creep in and steal from me the joy of enjoying a precious gift.
My train of thought extended beyond the bracelet to dreams and goals in general and my blogging journey in particular.
For many years I had a dream of writing and blogging. I started and stopped that journey at least three times before really deciding to give it an honest effort.
But honestly
As a newbie blogger I suffer from fear on a daily basis.
The fears
What if I fail?
What if I do? What is the worst that could happen? Can you live with the worst case scenario?
What if someone thinks it’s a stupid idea?
Someone will! Can I live with that? Yes. The more important question is, do I think it is a stupid idea? No.
What if I’m not good enough?
Who defines good enough? Blogging, like life, is a journey. Am I dedicated enough to the idea to learn and grow and change? Yes. I need only be good enough for me.
What if I lose the bracelet…again?
I hope I don’t. My plan is to be very, very careful. But at the end of the day, I have to face the fact that by wearing the bracelet, it may get lost, it may get damaged. If it does, I will be very sad. However, I will at least be able to say that I enjoyed it and didn’t let it lay unused and unappreciated in my drawers. The same can be said for goals and dreams.
What about your dreams?
Do you have a dream? Something which you want to do or accomplish? Where is that dream? Like a cherished bracelet, have you tucked it away somewhere just to keep it safe? Do you examine it every once in a while, and think, “what if?”.
Does fear keep you from pulling it out, polishing it off and enjoying it?
What are your fears?
What if you fail, what if someone thinks it’s a stupid idea, what if you aren’t good enough? Please see the above answers!
Think about this!
When I was young, there was a poster that I loved: “A ship in a harbor is safe. But that is not what ships are made for.”
Allow me to extend that thought. “A bracelet in a drawer is safe, but that is not what bracelets are made for.”
And finally, “A dream in your heart is safe, but that is not what dreams are made for.”
Sail the ship, wear the bracelet, pursue the dream!
Don’t allow the fear to steal your dreams away!
|
Would you like to have a printable reminder not to let fear steal your dreams? Just added in Living by Lists: 3 Questions to Answer if You are Allowing Fear to Steal Your Dreams
|
LIKE IT? SHARE IT!
It’s a little thing that would mean a lot to me!
Great message and well written as always. I think I needed to hear this today. I am fearful about trying for baby no 2. Afraid it will take away from Oscar. Afraid I can’t handle two at these ages. Afraid I will favor one over the other. Afraid of change. Financially, physically, & emotionally we are ready so there is no reason to let fear hold me back or make me anxious.
Fear is a funny thing. While fear can make us stop and think, it can become like this giant, imaginary, roadblock that keeps us from happiness.
Weren’t you a little afraid before Oscar 🙂 And look how that turned out! Don’t let your fears rob you! Let me know (please!)