Fear is an illusion! If you have the courage, the drive, the chutzpah to face what you fear, head on, you’ll realize that you were the only thing holding you back. You may also realize that conquering that fear may just open a door to a world you never knew existed.
For me, that fear was the steps. I’ve told the story before, but I will tell it again. The steps were terrifying. I’d watch everyone climb up and down effortlessly, while I sat at the bottom crying. I wanted to know what was going on up there…
With a whole lot of patience and a little assistance, I triumphed the treacherous task of scaling the steps (the up part at least). A new world awaited me once I got up there. New toys, new smells, carpet (which I rapidly found a corner to rip apart), new experiences. It was glorious! Now there was this new world, but I was panic-stricken to get back to the old world I was comfortable in, because that meant going back down those steep steps. Down is so much scarier then up. I had to make it back down though, that’s where the food is. Did I mention that food is my favorite thing?
Treats were the magic trick, and time, and a little push from Mom. Treats and courage mostly!
You have to be kind to yourself when you are moving out of your comfort zone. Be patient. Allow others to push you forward. Reward yourself for taking baby steps (pun intended), and keep rewarding yourself with each step you take toward conquering that fear. You deserve to experience the world that exists beyond your fear. You also have the right to say that conquering that fear didn’t get you where you wanted to be, and you can go right back to your comfortable place. Fear is an illusion. We have the capability to move, and play, and work, and explore in all the directions, even the scary forward ones and the scary backward ones.