DON'T RUN AWAY; MOVE AHEAD INSTEAD
Updated: Apr 9, 2020
When I was nine years old, my mom and dad purchased a farm in Minnesota. Dad was convinced we boys needed to learn the concept of hard work, but I soon discovered that the hard work was nothing compared to the fears that I faced on the farm. I remember when Dad first got the cows. Fear gripped me when I discovered I would have to milk them with my bare hands. Oh my gosh, I have to touch and pull on those? My chest pounded and my blood raced. But I did it. Not only once but many many, times twice per day for several years. Somewhere early on, I did overcome my fear of milking cows. Every day on the farm brought new opportunities to face our fears. Animals that could kill me with a kick or maim me with a horn, and equipment that was old and often missing the safety shields, spinning at hundreds of revolutions per minute, provided for some scary times. I just learned to be as careful as I could and hoped for the best. What made my brothers and I most afraid though was imagining what dad would do if we did not finish our chores. Now that’s some real fear! LOL! Since fear wasn’t accepted as an excuse for not doing my work, I learned real quick that I had to face my fears and simply do the things I was afraid of doing. Facing my fears on a daily basis back in those early years definitely set the stage for my life today. Who would ever dream that hundreds of opportunities to face my fears as a youth would have such a huge impact on my life even to this day! In every situation and circumstance that I find fear there threatening to paralyze me, but I don’t let it. I simply face my fear and do the thing I fear to do, and pretty soon, the fear is gone (or at least greatly diminished.) Is fear holding you back from the success you deserve in life? Is there a fear that you need to face? Don’t run away. Instead, move ahead and take action towards that fear. Step towards it with gusto and confidence. Don’t wait. Do it today! You will succeed and overcome much adversity and circumstance. But you must step into it.