Follow Your Dreams: Don't Let Fear Stop You

I never intended to be a writer. I think that was because my twelfth grade English teacher seemed only nominally interested in anything I wrote for her. Most of my college professors seemed to inherit her lack of enthusiasm for everything I turned in too. So, when I graduated, I did what any self respecting man who would never be a writer would do. I became a banker. Working with numbers is cleaner than working with words. There is concreteness in numbers that provides safety and security. Words carry with them a great deal of weight. So, I left the world of words never guessing I would ever miss it.

But, writing became like a drug to me. The habit started small, with just a few creative emails to friends. Then the addiction grew. There was a sexy fear inherent in putting my deepest thoughts and feelings onto a blank page. It was a challenge to find just the right word to express that solitary feeling that raged in my chest. I could feel them fighting to get out with each keystroke. And there was a spark of talent and rush of excitement that seemed to rear their heads in the simplest turn of a phrase. Quitting became impossible.

It didn't take long for a new dream to be born within me. The difficult thing was that the very reasons I started to write were the very reasons it took me so long to follow that dream. There is something safe about keeping a dream secret and hidden, far from the prying eyes of others. That is not so unique of a situation to find yourself in. To love something so much that it is better off an idol held aloft in your mind than drug through the mud and grime of life to be tarnished by outsiders. Letting your dreams become reality is no easy thing.

What I learned though is that fear must be faced. You cannot live your life afraid. It robs you of hope and it prevents you from growing up and moving on. You cannot succeed if you don't try, and sometimes the most helpful stepping stone is failure. Getting your dreams dirty is the only way to realize that sometimes you need to wash them off to discover what they truly are. Like you, your dreams change, and it is only in looking back that the beauty of the work you put into them can be seen.

So, when I put words to paper, I am opening myself up to all my deepest insecurities. The most guarded pieces of who I am are laid bare for all to see. Yours would be too. Regardless of what you desire to do. Making the decision to go back to school, pick up a camera, or pursue that perfect job will bring you to where I was. But I want to let you in on a little secret. No matter the outcome, it is worth it. It definitely beats the alternative.

One day you will look back on your life and think about all those things you wish you could have done. If you take a moment now and think about that, consider that it might just make your life all the more colorful to jump in. I encourage you to.