I wasted years of my life waiting for some fears to “magically” disappear.
My dad helped me realize that fears NEVER quit, that avoiding my fears is NOT the way to go.
“Son,” he said once, “if you expect to STOP feeling afraid, you will wait forever.”
I felt powerless, so I asked, “If they don’t go away, then how can we overcome fear?”
I’ll never forget his words. “Being courageous doesn’t mean you will never feel afraid, that’s the wrong idea of courage,” he said.
“So if I feel fear, it doesn’t mean I’m a coward?”
My dad laughed and said,” No, no, not at all! The true definition of courage is simply not allowing fear to stop you from moving forward.”
I sat there thinking about his lesson.
He continued.
“Courage is NOT a feeling — Courage is a decision not to be controlled by the feelings of fear.”
Ultimately it was acting with faith and intentional actions that helped me make that decision and live by it. I fight my fears DAILY, and I’m glad I do because fears would destroy my life.
Keep moving forward!