Can I tell you a secret? I was afraid of the dark until I was well into my thirties… As soon as the sun went down, I would turn on all of the lights and close all of the closet doors. I always made sure that my dog slept next to my bed, and I woke her every time I had to get up in the middle of the night. Once I realized how much this fear was controlling my life and quality of sleep, I made a change.
Not only was I afraid of the dark, but I was also afraid of heights. Walking over a simple footbridge made me dizzy. When I realized how silly this fear was, I decided to do what any normal person would do (just kidding)… I signed up for a tandem skydive. As soon as I jumped out of the plane, I thought I was having a heart attack. Luckily, my chest pains and anxiety dissipated when the parachute deployed, and I experienced relief and a whole lot of excitement.
Not only was I afraid of the dark and of heights, but I was ALSO afraid of public speaking. When I grew tired of this fear continually crippling me, I signed up for Toastmasters, attended the classes, and on the day of my final speech… I broke out into hives. I gave my last speech with a red neck and itchy skin. Once I was done, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. My peers had no idea how nervous I was and applauded me for doing so well. I was no longer afraid of speaking in public.
In each of these situations, I experienced freedom when I conquered my fear. If I hadn’t pushed myself to make a change, I wouldn’t sleep as well as I do now, I wouldn’t have experienced the excitement of skydiving, and I wouldn’t share my unique story and message with the world. On the other side of fear is freedom! Are you ready to experience freedom? Let me tell you… It feels so good! For more tips on dumping the fear and finding your rhythm, tune in to Episode 34 of the Fit Is Freedom podcast.