the things that scare you

In honor of Halloween I decided to focus on FEAR. We’re all afraid of something, right?

Some things are concrete, like:

• Fear of heights
• Fear of spiders
• Fear of the dark

But what about the things that aren’t so obvious?

Here are some things that scare me:

• Fear of making the wrong decision, as in, what if going back to grad school for teaching was the wrong decision, and I was actually meant to go to design school, or culinary school, or….
• Fear that I won’t be a good teacher…or worse, that I won’t actually enjoy being a teacher
• Fear of not making enough money if I decide to go into a creative career

In a way, these are all linked to the fear of failure. About a year ago I decided that this was “my year to fail.” Not so optimistic a picture, you might think! But what I realized was that fear of failure was holding me back so much that I was nearly paralyzed. If I made failing an adventure–and a real goal–then I couldn’t be held back in that way.

Fear can actually be a good thing. It gives us information about where we’re putting our mental energy. When we face the things we’re most afraid of, we usually get the biggest boost of confidence. Getting out of our comfort zone sets us up for growth and helps us learn more about ourselves.

So, what is something that scares you?

And, what small step can you take to face it?