Whats Holding You Back?

    Several weeks ago I was asked the question “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” And here I am, weeks later, thinking not about what I would do, but how much fear holds us back. When we were young life was all about the pursuit of adventures. Then as we got older experience taught us to proceed with caution, to look before we leap.

In my line of work I’ve had the privilege of seeing the transformations both physically and mentally in my clients. I’ve also worked with clients who had the desire to make a healthy change in their lifestyle but lacked the confidence to fully commit.  One thing I quickly noticed about these types of clients was that they always had an excuse ready.  At first I didn’t think much of it, but after awhile it became obvious to me that they were using excuses as a defense mechanism. They didn’t want to be in a position to fail and lined up excuses to act as their safety net, so that they had something to fall back on, to blame.

To an extent, we all feel fear when starting something new. Even as I write this blog entry, there is a voice in the back of my mind saying is it relatable? Is it thought provoking? Is it relevant to a certain niche/theme/perception… and so on and so on. As humans, we worry about all kinds of things, and even when we acknowledge our fears we still worry. So I guess the real question is: Why are we afraid of starting?

I believe ones past and failures are part of the reason many refrain from starting something new. It’s like those scary movies with the haunted house and the people are tiptoeing throughout it and holding their breath as they go around each corner, fearing they’ll run into something unwelcoming. We are all drawn to experiencing new things, but like in those movies - it’s the fear of not knowing that keeps people from moving forward.

I also believe there is more risk in not taking any risks at all. Our past, with all the good, bad, tragic, embarrassing, amazing, beautiful moments we’ve lived through so far have helped mold us into who we are today. And maybe keeping things as is, living every day the same will protect you from enduring emotional harm - but it will also rob you of unknown talents, and from experiencing some of life’s most profound moments as well.

Maybe we all need to let go of who we are in order to learn who we can be. And by choosing not to take those proverbial leaps, you’re risking becoming frozen in time, never changing, never evolving, never truly knowing yourself.