To risk

What would it be like

to speak more freely

to love more deeply

to dare more boldly?

What would you

say

feel

do?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the process of taking risks. First you realize what you might want. You go back and forth trying to determine if it’s actually what you want and you talk to people seeking their affirmation that it’s what you want. And once you decide it is in fact something you want you start to envision how you’re going to get there. You make plans in your mind and you run those plans past people and you weight the pro’s and con’s to see if this is actually something that’s going to benefit you in the long run. You look at all possible scenarios, the good ones and the bad, and you go back and forth some more about what you should do. And if you decide the possibility of a good outcome weighs more than the pain of a bad one, you commit to action. You spend some more time trying to plan that course of action, but eventually you’ll settle on that, too. But all of that is the easy part. It’s only after you’ve made a commitment that you begin to really dig deep. Here come the questions. How do you know if it’s right or if it’s reckless? What do you do if you fail? What do you do if you get rejected, judged, criticized, abandoned? All of the “what-if’s” tick by in the back of your mind some days forcing themselves right to the front, so much so, you’re blinded to all rational thought. I’m in that phase right now, and I’m wrestling through what life would be like if there was a little less fear. What would you do if you weren’t so afraid all the time? Would you apply for your dream job? Would you tell someone you like that you like them? Would you work outside of your comfort zone knowing that you’re risking a grade? What would life be like, what would it actually be like, if you spoke more freely, loved more deeply, and dared more boldly? I’m not sure I know, but I’m beginning to wonder if I’m up for finding out.

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