Do You Have Fear?

I remember a time in my early twenties, when my canoe tipped over in a raging river.

My canoeing buddy and I became stranded on an island, out in the middle of no where.

How to get off?

 If we didn't want to be living there the rest of our lives, or get rescued by a helicopter, we had no choice but to face the angry river again.

I fought off paralyzing fear. Heart pounding, I pushed back my tears. 

Even today I remember looking into the eyes of my canoeing instructor; and they spoke volumes. 

They said, "Dorothy you can do this." "You wouldn't be on this course if you didn't have the skill level to overcome." "I believe in you."

Getting back out into that angry water was the last thing I wanted to do.

In many ways it would have been easier to concede defeat but truth be known, if we didn't get off that island before nightfall, hypothermia would have kicked in fast. 

I was terrified.

Those big ugly waves were telling me, "We are going to eat you up and spit you out!"

Fear or courage? Which was I going to let speak the loudest?

It was critical to our survival, so I shut down my emotions hard and fast, and prepared to face the worst fear of my life.

Amazingly...

I conquered that GIGANTIC, UGLY FEAR that had been staring me down only moments before.

What had been absolutely terrifying, became one of the biggest thrills of my life.

Riding on top of those big fat ugly waves.

Finding myself whooping and hollering in shear joy and relief.

Conquering that which had only moments before been so absolutely terrifying to me.

I was over the top elated!

And you know what?

I want that for you as well because to many times fear can stop a person right in their tracks.

I don't want that for you. That is why I am sharing my story. 

Let me encourage you today to start living with no regrets.

So ask yourself...

What haven't you done yet because you have let fear shut you down?

Or where are you stuck because of the fear of making a wrong decision?

Sometimes hearing other peoples stories can be the very thing that is needed to help another person overcome theirs.

We all know life can be hard.

Unexpected things come at all of us everyday.

And it is critical to find the motivation to overcome and persist through our everyday stuff.

So whether you believe that or not, rather than put your head under the pillow and shut life out, let's talk and be encouraged instead.

I believe in you.

Now go and conquer your fears and start living life to the fullest!

Dorothy