BY FRIDAY’S CHILD
LAGOS, Nigeria – I have started and hopefully, this time, I won’t stop and shrink back into fear. Hopefully, I won’t let fear cage me in.
Writing this is one of the fears I have conquered. One of the things I used to think about and quiver, that familiar feeling running down my spine.
You see, I used to fear everything. Well, not everything per se but practically everything except eating and sleeping. I knew I had this challenge but I felt powerless to do anything about it until certain events happened that showed that I was losing out on the chance to grow because I was too fearful to speak out for myself.
That realisation hurt me deeply and made me recall this statement I read from Sheryl Sandberg in her book ‘Lean In’ “How can I do better?” “What am I doing that I don’t know?” “What am I not doing that I don’t see?” These questions can lead to many benefits. And believe me, the truth hurts.
Even when I have solicited feedback, any judgment can feel harsh. But the upside of painful knowledge is so much greater than the downside of blissful ignorance”. And after I employed my “What have I done for you lately?” approach, they were far more eager to return the favor.”
So I took the feedback, internalized it and sought for help. Help came in the form of a video I came across on TED talk with the same title as this write up. Thus I began a journey of facing my fears and conquering them one by one.
Has it been easy? No. have I made some more mistakes? Of course. But has it been worth it? Yes. What are the lessons learnt? Many already and many more on the way.
So why don’t you join me on this journey of self-discovery? I know there are more people like me out there who are struggling with feelings of self-doubt, who have allowed fear of making mistakes cage them in, holding them back from growth.
If you are, you are welcome here. This is a no judgment zone. We are all here to share our happiness and ‘unhappinesses’ and walk through them together. So why don’t you share them and together, we will all blossom into that lovely confident human being that is hidden inside of us.
In the next article, I will share the different things I have feared and what I have done to overcome them.
