Don't let fear steal your future.

Do you get out of your comfort zone often enough?
When was the last time you did something that made you feel that buzz, the excitement and nervousness all in one moment?
I don't mean stealing cars or taking illegal substances, but doing something that maybe you thought you could never do. Pushing the limits of what you thought was possible for you.
We sometimes get it in our heads that something is 'just not me' or 'I couldn't do that, I'm too unfit or I'm too old or too young or whatever'. Excuses we make up before we've even really thought about it. Most of the time we are just afraid. Afraid of failure maybe. Afraid of ridicule or rejection possibly. Either way we are being afraid of something that we don't even know if it will happen or not.
When I decided to join the theatre and accept a part in the first play I was in, I had all those thoughts too. Even reading out loud in front of the others made me nervous, how could I get to do this in front of possibly up to a hundred people with no script in my hand?
But I didn't dwell on those thoughts for too long. I had been learning a lot about self development and the benefits of having a positive mindset, and that helped me to understand that the nerves and anxiety were all part of the new experience. As I continued to rehearse and the performance night drew closer, the other actors became more familiar and I started to enjoy my time on the stage.
Each night of the performances the nerves would come, the noise from the audience gathering and settling in their seats. Do I know my lines? Have I got my props? Is my bow tie OK?
Lots of questions and thoughts flying around in your head but then as you walk onto the boards to deliver your lines you know that this is it, time to do what you had been rehearsing for.
When the curtains close on that last night, there is a feeling of relief and elation. Tinged with a little sadness as I know it's over, and I realise that all those nerves and worries had taken me somewhere I'd never been before, and it was exciting. It had been a journey. A journey of self discovery and putting myself in an environment where I could either take the step or regret never having being brave enough to say yes to being offered that first part. I'm glad I said yes, and I'm still saying yes. I'll be in Teechers in November as Mr Basford. The nerves don't go away, but I do know that I can do it now.
You may think you can't do whatever it is that leads you out of your comfort zone, but you can.
You've just got to try it.

*Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.*       Fulton Oursler

 

Don't let fear steal your future, and don't let your past be full of regret. Go and do the thing you've been wanting to do, speak to the person you've been wanting to speak to, climb the mountain, run the race or jump from that place. Go on, you know you want to.