Do More Things That Scare You
Since today is Halloween, I thought it was only fitting to write about doing things that scares you! Just the thought of doing something that scares me feels daunting! Daily we are put in situations that may frighten us. Have you ever noticed how something that seemed scary feels way less imitating after we finally find the courage to do it? And it usually doesn’t turn out as bad as we thought. This past weekend I hung out with a bunch of my friends who I haven’t seen in a while. Seeing and speaking with them made me realize that the people living their best lives are taking major steps in life! Such as moving across the country, visiting a place they never been to before, boldly asking someone out on a date, or starting their own business. This is super inspiring to me! Often all we need is to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. In those moments, we feel the most growth, confidence, and faith in our abilities. I’m actively working on changing my perception of change and challenging myself to develop better habits. I seek to inspire you to edit your life frequently and ruthlessly to become the person you dream to be.
I’ve been doing more things that scare me on a daily basis. This includes acting on anything that makes me hesitate before doing it. This has made me become much more mindful of moments where I hesitate. In those instances, I stop and ask myself why I’m hesitating. Is it because I’m nervous about what person will think? Am I unsure if I’m being politically correct? Do I feel like I’m doing too much? After asking all these questions, I challenge myself to act within reason. A couple days ago I spoke to a stranger on the train in the morning. This is something small that for some reason felt like an uncomfortable push for me. This woman’s phone flashlight was on and she clearly wasn’t aware because she was practically blinding everyone in my row. Everyone kept giving her the “New York death stare” but they weren’t saying anything. I was wondering why no one said something to her. So, I decided I was going to be courageous and tell the lady that her flashlight was on. She was apologetic and thankful about the whole thing. Which was nice and refreshing because you never know what reaction you’ll get from people in New York City. Developing courage truly takes practice and patience.
Here are 5 tips I’ve been reminding myself on a daily basis in order to develop more courage:
- Speak up in the moment. This will help you execute exactly what you need to in the present. I’ve learned to stop dwelling on the perfect wording or determining the perfect way to approach something. Majority of the time there really is no perfect way to go about doing something. I’ve also noticed the more I act instead of overthinking the more authentic I am.
- Write out a list of things that scare you. Then aim to do these things. A couple of things that are on my personal list are speaking up when I feel uncomfortable, sharing my opinion when it’s different than the popular opinion, and driving.
- Don’t be hard on yourself. When you feel disappointed in yourself, practice positive self-talk. Be proud of yourself for trying. Identify areas of your life where you can actively improve and create a specific plan to strengthen your weaknesses.
- Care less about what people think about you. This is one I struggle with all the time. I enjoy being liked, like most people do. I pride myself on making people feel comfortable and relatable. The reality is that people aren’t always going to like you, people will always judge you, and that’s OKAY! The most successful people have haters. According to Grant Cardone, that’s a sign that you must be doing something right.
- Practice tolerating discomfort. Make a conscious effort to stop giving in to temptations. For instance, if you’re trying to lose weight and craving junk, practice tolerating the discomfort of not eating the junk food. When you’re feeling lonely and tempted to text an ex who you have no business contacting, convince yourself not to give in. Studies show that small actions like this will strength your self-control.
Success is having the courage to do things that are in the direction you want to go in – no matter how far fetch you think your goal is. Every single defining moment in my life has come from doing something that’s scared me at first. As you make these changes in your life, your mind will shift and life will become a lot more enjoyable.