The pens are out and the fresh tablets are ready. We are chugging away at our plans determined to make 2013 the most successful year of them all. Visionary boards are going up. Brainstorming sessions are in full bloom. We are forced to reckon with our decisions and attitudes from 2012, Anxiety is rising.

The mistakes begin to increasingly chip away at our confidence. The pen drops. A long pinned up sigh is released. The first page of the tablet filled with fresh ideas and extravagant possibilities is torn and tossed in the trash.  The voice of fear is speaking: “Do I really want to go on?”

Don’t Be Afraid.

Fear is just faith in reverse. Faith has a positive connotation. We draw from it when we want something improved or something good to happen or when we are looking for the best. Fear is believing the worst and waiting on the manifestation of that.

The common thread in both faith and fear is the unknown. I’ve made it a habit to choose to believe the best in any situation especially when I don’t know what to believe. If it could go one way or the other, why waste energy believing the worst?

Fear Causes You To Run.

My earliest memory of fear was at 3 years old. I lived with my great-grandmother in Omaha, Nebraska at that time. My great-grandmother was fond of antiques. Everything in her house was huge, at least in my three-year-old memory. One of her daily task was to weed and pick vegetables from her garden on the side of the house.

This was a time of sheer delight for me. I hated walking through those weeds and being bitten by those yucky bugs. But, a trip to the candy store across the street always followed work in the garden. So I gladly grabbed my basket, a miniature version of great grandmothers and happily walked to the field.

I was shadowing her as she finished picking the green beans and we were headed to the tomato patch when I first heard it; a hissing slithery sound. I had no idea what I was hearing. My great-grandmother tensed. Her grip on my hand tightened.

“What’s wrong?” I said in a slightly frightened voice.

“Nothing,” she said as her eyes searched the perimeter of the garden.

We continued walking slower than before. Then out of nowhere, the longest garter snake I had ever seen in my life just appeared right in front of us. Even though they are supposedly harmless, it was a monster in my eyes. All of us scattered in different directions, me, great grandma, baskets, vegetables, and the snake. I honestly don’t know who was most afraid.

What Monster Is In Your Eyes?

When great effort and resources are put into a project that flops…Failure is the monster that causes us to run.  Sometimes we run to new projects abandoning the vision that is in our hearts. More damaging is when we run inside ourselves, deciding to not try anything again.

Master Your Mistakes

When we doubt our own value, we often compensate by trying to impress others. Peer pressure isn’t limited to teenagers. We acquire things to impress others. We dress to impress others. We talk about our accomplishments in hopes that others will be impressed. I especially like Joshua Becker’s quote: “Don’t live to impress. Live to inspire.” Can’t you just feel the freedom that comes with making this change in mindset?

True confidence is living out the beauty within. Unveil the masterpiece that is you and live a life that will inspire others.

Remember life is most enjoyable when there is heart, beauty, and true confidence.

 

*This post first appeared on Jennings Wire where Justina is a contributing blogger.