Fear

"You haven't even come close to reaching your true potential. "   Has anyone ever told you that?  Have you ever thought about how far you could go if "fear" was taken out of the equation.  Fear surrounds us.  A lack of faith is based on the fear of the desired affect not happening.  I'm guessing that most of us don't ever reach our true potential.

 Look at my little league kids for instance.  They go up to bat "wondering" if they're going to hit the ball or actually get hit by the ball.  The kids that go up there with no doubts, the ones that instead of wondering IF they're going to hit the ball they wonder how hard they're going to hit the ball.  It's these kids that are more successful at the plate. 

I think this is true of most things.  I think Michael Jordan said, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take".  If you don't take that first step, failure is the only option.  Losing or failing should not be in the thought process.  It's the act of trying that makes all the difference in the world.  In my younger years, I was the prime example of this whole being afraid to try thing.  My dad never came out and said it, but losing wasn't much of an option.  I don't think I ever heard, "well at least you tried".   So growing up, I found it easier to either make sure I trained hard enough to win or find some excuse not to compete.  Fear dominated my way of thinking.  I wonder at times if this is why I opted out of going to medical school.  Maybe I was afraid of not making the grade, I don't know.   Problem is, I will never know, because I never tried.

As I've grown and really learned what's important, I do my best to teach my kids that trying is what builds character. Trying and even failing makes a stronger man as long as you continue to get back up and keep striving towards your goals.  I try not to let fear get the best of me as well.  Whether it be work, racing bikes, coaching baseball, etc..... it's a constant battle for me to beat any fears that try to invade this little head of mine.  I still hate to lose, but it doesn't keep me from competing. 

You can't be afraid of failing.  Who cares if you fail?  We all fail at some point.  Some of the most successful people in the world have failed.  Block out the pressures from the outside world.  Put away the fears and focus on the feeling of being successful.   I mentioned something like this during the weight loss challenge.  At your weakest moments, close your eyes and picture yourself succeeding.  Picture yourself running that 8 minute mile, or losing that 15 lbs.   Imagine the results then do what it takes to achieve those results.  If you stumble,  get your booty back up and start where you left off.  Who gives a crap what others think.   I'm willing to bet that most of us are afraid to take that first step because we fear what others may think.  If I've learned one thing as I've gotten older (hey, I'll be 40 next week), everyone has fears and insecurities, some people just seem to rise above them better than others.  So I hope that you will do your best to put your best foot forward and start something you've been wanting to do.  Put aside the fears and make the most of it.  Remember, it's not how many times you fall, it's getting up everytime you fall that makes all the difference.