Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Every morning I get a quote from yourinspiration@famous-quotes-quotations.com and today’s was “Always do what you are afraid to do.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

But my question is how far do you take doing what you’re afraid to do?

Years ago I read some popular self-help guru and she said something along the lines of feel the fear but do it anyway. Her analogy (from this someone may remind me of who she is) was that every year she takes a vacation with her husband alone away from her kids and feels terribly guilty about it. But she does it anyway because she knows she’d resent them if she denied herself this time and really enjoys being with them when she returns after having a chance to recharge.

I’ve held on to this nugget, probably because it fits my personality and lifestyle. I’m pretty fearless. Not skydiving fearless, but when it comes to taking charge of my life and getting from point A to B. I’m confident, direct and probably considered opinionated. When I know what I want I go for it and generally get it, simply because I don’t take “no” for answer. If someone gets in my way, I simply go around them.

So, I wrote a romance novel, something I previously would have dismissed as ridiculous, but it called me. The story I had to tell (there are at least two more coming) was semi-autobiographical, meaning the heroine is thinner and way more fit, younger and prettier than me. She meets a hot, hard-bodied Navy SEAL (why settle for anything but the best) on the beach, (of all places) who, is younger and not only falls madly in love with her nearly at first sight (of course), but loves her kid, sweeps her off her feet and relentlessly pursues her to marry.

Who’s dreaming now? Well, yes. Actually, I’ve dreamt this in various forms over several years and finally put all the pieces together to write a 300-page novel. I fought the fear that came with exposing my inner self (literally – there’s lots of descriptive sex) and wrote it in the first person no less.

I definitely feel the fear. Yet I still do it anyway. In those moments, rationalization is probably my best friend. So back to the beginning. How far do you go when you’re afraid? Me, I’m choosing to be fearless. trudging on, boldly. I’ve decided I want the big payoff and to get that I have to risk. I’ve always wanted to write a book. Now I have. My new goal is to get it published, which will happen one way or another because I’m willing to live in this scary place to get it done or go down in big, brightly colored 5,000-degree flames if it doesn’t.

In conclusion: Emerson believed. So do I. "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."