Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Know Fear


Success in life isn’t having "no fear"...


As I was (still) contemplating my first highlining experiences, I was also finishing reading Mike Robbins’ book Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. It’s a good, easy read. It resonated with me: balance is an integral part of who I am, and I’m a lot happier since I started letting that part of me develop and show freely. I still have a ways to go of course. For all my airing my obsession on a public blog, when it comes to talking face to face with people I don't know well—who might not appreciate or approve of my enthusiasm—the urge to try to downplay rather than embrace my passions can still grip me pretty hard.

In the book, Robbins says that in order to live a rewarding, authentic life, we need to know our fears rather than try to live by the motto “No Fear.” Lightbulbs began flashing in my head: NO FEAR…KNOW FEAR….NO FEARKNOW FEAR.  It took a while to fit those four words into fuller, more intelligible phrases, but eventually I came up with something I was content with.

With my current job, I’ve had opportunities to dabble in graphic design. To take my new skills for a test drive, I decided to pair my new favorite motto with one of the highlining photos I'd taken. Highlining pictures have built in negative space (another thing I’ve been thinking about recently); pictures with negative space are excellent candidates for graphic design—there is space to add text.

A motto + a picture lead to this:

Success in life isn't having NO FEAR.  Dream big, take risks, KNOW FEAR. #highline #slackline


Yes, I’m rather proud of the finished project.

I’m looking forward to finding opportunities to know the fear of highlining…and overcoming it.  I also still need to develop the courage to explore and embrace my authentic (and often quirky) self. Confession, I'm feeling nervous just thinking about it.  What big, scary, inspiring dream tugs at your heart?

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