Fear itself

I always thought that one saw how strong they were and how far they'd come after climbing the mountain of whatever trial they were facing to look down upon the journey and know that they were victorious. What I've come to understand, however, is that growth in life doesn't really come from the peaks, it comes from the switchbacks. It's not about standing atop a conquered hardship, it is in feeling like you couldn't possibly take anymore only to be handed something more challenging than the first. It is not in resting- it is in pushing forward.

Fear and phobia have riddled my admittedly short existence thus far. I have a fairly extensive list of phobias that I will probably never be rid of completely, but my bigger problem has been fear. I learned a long time ago to be afraid. And I adapted my life to fit that fear instead of the other way around, as it should have been. I don't think I've made any particularly poor decisions, but I do regret lack of action in a lot of cases. I spent so much time walking on eggshells, often for no reason, feeling like at any moment I would be called out on doing something wrong. My solution was to do nothing, or as little as possible. It was an attitude of fear that explained so much of who I was.

My life has been far more eventful in the last year than the previous many for me personally. I've grown- I'm more capable, and I can feel the change in everything I do. It's been baby steps, and different changes have come over time one at a time. But where I feel the most difference has come in only the last week or two: I am not afraid anymore.