The Door of Fear

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“Everything you want is on the other side of fear”- George Addair.

What a daring and strong quote.

It is very thought-provoking since you would question yourself wondering what does this mean exactly. It means that your fears are getting in the way of you realizing your true potential that would lead to your happiness or success. By avoiding your fear, you will be feeding it thus making it much worse than it originally is. Moreover, you will not be able to realize or reach your full dignity.  You will be sticking to your comfort zone, never being able to discover and see things from a different perspective or find out new things about yourself. By sticking to your comfort zone and avoiding facing your fear, you are making yourself the human version of a caged bird.

It’s a given fact that all of us have fears. Unfortunately, it is not that easy to just build a bridge and get over it, especially since it is virtually impossible to get rid of something we dread.  Especially since we have acquired irrational fears from childhood, it practically grew up with us which makes it harder to get rid of so easily. However, we can’t keep running away from obstacles that head our way. In order to live a free and exciting life, one must learn how to cope with this and embrace anything that may seem challenging that heads our way.  If one struggled in this area, the chances of them facing severe trepidation is high and they will feel sick with apprehension.

There was a time where I was not too keen on stepping out of my comfort zone. I did not want to feel pressured or irritated, I wanted to be comforted and that was by sticking to my own zone. After all, it is called comfort zone for a reason. Anything that I felt was a bit risky, or a bit different, I would try to find a way to completely avoid it.  It came to the point where having a routine life was an ideal life for me. I stuck by it for so long, not that there is a problem with having a routine life. However, if one was to experience a flashback of their life, would they be really happy seeing the same thing repeated constantly? As though their existence on earth is merely through footprint and nothing more?   From there I decided to take action. It took a bit of time to push myself to get closer to the edge and touch it. Day by day, I would try something small and different just to spice up my routine and experience a different feeling. These baby steps that I took has taken me a long way.

I began to learn and experience new things that never in a million years would I have thought about doing, for example rope gliding. Not that I was scared of heights, but I was not a huge fan of feeling like I’m free falling. The idea of rope gliding was far from appealing to me, but I went with it .I must admit, I was shaking with terror! However, I did not turn my back from it. Mainly because the person handling this activity gave me a push, a literal one, so there wasn’t much of an option for me to back out and I’m glad it happened. The adrenaline rush and feeling of excitement that rushed all over me was incredible! I even went for a second round! I loved the feeling I got from this and that’s when I realized that there was so much more to life than living the typical fear induced lifestyle.

If I were not able to realize what my fears are and face them, then it would get the best of me. By getting out of my comfort zone, I was able to see and embrace the light. By getting in touch with this light, it was not the end of me but the end of my inability to cope with my own fears. It is also the beginning of a more improved me, enabling my potential to be known and used to the fullest. After all, running away from the light and hiding in the darkness is not going to help you blossom your roots. Facing your fears will make you feel freer. If you’re curious, go and satisfy it by finding an answer. Don’t wait and continue living life wondering “What if, what if”. You only get to live your life once, live it to the fullest so that when you look back at what you’ve done, you won’t have to regret not doing what you may have been passionate about. In other words, we can’t achieve what we desire if we are still in our comfort zone.

– By our regional intern, Elsie Merhi – World Youth Alliance, Middle East

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