Fear

fear (fɪə, fɪər)
noun.

verb.

me·do

“Fear” was one of the first words I learned in English. I remember it so well, many years ago. I had a salmon-coloured t-shirt that read “No Fear” in large letters. Little did I know that some years later I would experience it so many times, in all shapes and forms. If there is anyone who knows about fear, that’s me.

What to do with fear?

You can ignore it, pretend that you’re not acquainted, tell yourself that you don’t feel it. And so you take risks unconsciously, you don’t foresee the consequences, and you often get hurt. And it hurts.

You can allow it to freeze you, to get you motionless, to lead you to inertia. And so you run away from everything and everyone, you go through life as if it were nothing special, you feel all things on the surface. And it sucks.

Or you can respect it, use it as a compass and allow it to guide you, without ever stealing your dreams. And so you move forward  – even though you know you don’t know it all – and savour the discovery as life unfolds. And you grow.

Fear is fear. It will always be. But if you feed it, it gets bigger than you and then it prevents you from living.

Today is Friday 13, take this chance and be happy.