‘Do something every day that scares you.’
This famous quote came up again on my social media feed recently. Though I’ve seen it many times (you too, I imagine!), it continues to speak to me.
I hate heights. Just not a fan. For me, it’s not a paralysing fear as I can still muster up whatever courage I think I have to ride gondolas up mountain-faces or travel up mountain passes. Truth be told though, I often am a shaking mess on the inside until I reach the top!
Yet, I persist in doing it. Why? For a couple reasons:
- I love the views at the top. They’re just something else!
- I honestly believe it’s healthy to challenge fear in the right way.
I’m confident it’s healthy for us to do positive things that make us uncomfortable, awkward and maybe even a little fearful. Something happens inside of us when we do. Big or small, those acts of courage break the cocoon of normalcy and inject fresh life and excitement into our life experience.
If we don’t continually challenge the norm, excitement for the new gets eroded by repetition of the old, until we’re left with a robotic shell of the adventurous individual God created us to be.
Most of the time, stepping into something fresh is so rewarding, leading us to new discoveries of the world, of ourselves or those around us.
Admittedly, sometimes, the new path forged leaves a wake of disappointment and hurt. Often this is hard to heal from, and we can be left playing it safe for the rest of our lives.
If, though, we allow each adventure to teach us something—the good and the bad—we become stronger, more resistant and more willing.
Really, at the end of the day, it is another opportunity to trust God. Trust God with our fears, our insecurities and our pain.
Your adventure may look completely different to mine. But if we’re both trying the new, pushing past our fear and learning something, we’re both growing!