At least once in our lives, we will be challenged to face our fears in order to grow, evolve, and achieve what we yearn for, reaching our goals and making our dreams a reality. Victory is not guaranteed, but if we let our fears win, refuse to leave our comfort zone, and decide not to pursue our dreams, one thing is guaranteed: our own defeat and the death of our dreams. Therefore, if we want to make our dreams a reality, we must face all our fears!
Our fears have the ability to paralyze us. They create a barrier between us and our dreams. They limit us, stop us, steal our hopes, and snatch away our dreams. Many people never achieve their dreams, and one major reason is fear: fear of the unknown, fear of losing something, fear of failure, or fear of what others will think—whether they fail or succeed. These, and many other fears, sabotage our dreams.
Looking back on my past, I can see how often I refused to do something I wanted to do, gave up on a goal, or stopped pursuing a particular dream—all because of fear. “What if I can’t do it?” “What if I fail?” “What if I’m not good enough?” “What will people think of me?” “What if I lose?” The endless “what ifs” resonated in my mind. Those questions weren’t my true self speaking—they were my fears. “What if” is how fear starts to confuse us. It’s their language.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
To overcome fear and achieve our dreams, we must first recognize when our fears have taken control of our minds. Why is this important? Once we detect that fear is controlling our thoughts, we can quickly take back control and start thinking for ourselves. If we’re not careful, fear will control our minds, make decisions for us, and ultimately shape our destiny. We must challenge and prove our fears wrong.
Life is like a box of chocolates: there are different shapes, fillings, and tastes. Some are sweet, some are bitter. You might enjoy them all or just a few, but in the end, you experience the whole box. One thing is sure in this world: nothing is certain, and you’ll never know the taste of what’s inside the box until you try it. Life can take an unexpected turn at any moment. If we play it safe, never take risks, and remain in our comfort zone, we will never truly enjoy life. We’ll simply exist, and our dreams will be buried in oblivion.
“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Most of the time, our fears aren’t real. For example, whenever I turn off the light, I think something horrible will appear—but it never happens. What I imagine is not real; it’s all in my mind. Our fears are shaped by the environment we grew up in, but we can overcome them if we’re willing to face them.
I was once afraid of spiders. One day, I wondered, why? Why am I so scared of something that’s never harmed me? The problem was that I had been programmed to fear them. I decided to overcome that fear and face what scared me the most. It was hard at first, but day by day, my fear started to vanish.
“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.” – Judy Blume
It was the same with my fear of living in another country with a different culture and language. My fears tried to stop me. At some point, they wanted to protect me, to keep me in my comfort zone. Then, one day, I woke up and said to myself, “You know what? If you’re going to fear something, fear the idea of living a miserable life for the rest of your days because you didn’t pursue your dreams.” That day, I silenced my fears and took the first step toward my dreams. When you decide to face your fears, your life takes on new meaning. Do what you fear the most and grow, improve, reborn, evolve.
All your dreams, everything you want, all your desires are on the other side of your fears. Don’t let fear stop you; don’t let it snatch your dreams away. Face it, challenge it, and defeat it!
