After speaking to a friend, I was reminded just how
much fear was impacting my progress in life.
You see years of pulling myself down had taken its toll on
how I interacted with people and what I thought or felt I could say or do. It
also made me build a self-limiting wall, guarding me against anything that
might want to shake me out of the comfort of not speaking out.
Here’s an example:
I can be very opinionated within my quarters (my safety
place among people that I know and are comfortable with). However, take me out
of that scenario and I become an observer. Even if I want to contribute to a
discussion, voice my opinion or thoughts on a particular topic, or speak out
regarding something I may not agree with, I still find myself shrivelling back
in fear.
There have been a number of times I have wanted to tweet
something and then at the last minute just as I’m about to hit tweet, I delete
it and forget about it for fear of rubbing people up the wrong way.
I then justify my actions by saying “I probably wouldn’t have made that much of an
impact anyway”. What difference can a drop make in an ocean, right?
Yet, there lies the problem, the fact that I keep feeling
that my ‘little’ can’t make that much of a difference, or my voice shouldn’t be
heard. On top of that, I really don’t want to have to feel the pain of
rejection (rejection of not being accepted or understood).
Nevertheless the truth, which my friend reiterated is that I
would never truly be free until I stopped worrying about insignificant nothings.
I need to constantly remind myself of why I’m doing this and
not lose focus and be distracted by the cripples of fear.
I need to forget about how I will be perceived or whether or
not people will understand me, because no matter how small, I have a platform
to impact people’s lives for the better.
So what is it that you're afraid of?”
Pause. Think about it, and when you’ve got the answer, then
‘Just do it’.
Do the very thing that makes you quake in your boots, because
no matter how scared you may feel at the time, that action will very likely make
a much bigger impact than you can imagine; leaving you wondering why you didn’t
make moves a lot sooner.
God has not given me a
spirit of fear, but of power, love & a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7), so I WILL
speak out when & where necessary.
Please watch the video
below where I VOICE my opinion on a particular issue that i’m passionate about, and
let me know what you think.
Coined from when the pitcher in a baseball game
intentionally causes the ball to swerve off-track, comes the popular saying:
“When life throws you a curveball…”
This statement is then followed by an encouraging one-liner,
aimed at easing the pain of an unexpected event that has occurred, an often-painful
deviation in life.
These situations, such as an illness, failure, redundancy,
or even the loss of a loved one, can be very traumatic and cause a lot of
stress.
Nevertheless, very little emphasis is placed on the mundane
everyday happenings. Happenings such as missing the bus/train/flight,
indefinitely being placed on hold by our mobile phone providers, having to stay
back in the office, or getting stuck in traffic.
While these seemingly everyday ‘curveballs’ are (rightfully)
overlooked and deemed insignificant in comparison to major events like those
mentioned above, these mishaps build up stresses that can affect the rest of the
day.
Additionally, depending on how we think or react, they can cause the same kind of damage to our minds
and overall health if not dealt with.
Although easier said than done, primarily we must realise
that ‘our reaction’ to these circumstances are pinnacle to how things will go
on the pitch (field).
Our decision in those spilt seconds, not only determine how
we feel for the rest of the day (season), but can indirectly affect those
around us as well.
Our decision determines whether or not we hit that
curveball.
So the question is, when things don’t quite go our way, how
do we ensure that it doesn’t negatively affect us and mess up the flow, because
lets face it, certain periods in life can be challenging. Fancy words no longer impress and inspirational statements
and quotes no longer inspire as they used to, because it’s no
longer hypothetical or theory. THINGS have become real.
Everyone deals with situations differently, but what I do
know is that the hidden God-given strength infused into our very fibre, will
literally pull us through.
You may not understand what’s going on around you, but trust that you will get through it.
This has seen me through a season that was not only unexpected
but also rough.
Remember the experience of hitting a curveball, will make
you more confident to handle other situations that may arise. You’ll also be
better equipped to hit those everyday curveballs without a hitch and have that
ball sailing through the air.
PLEASE VIEW THE ACCOMPANYING VLOG BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW:
