The fear of failure and rejection often keeps us back and prevents us from achieving the reality we hope for. After all, the surest way to avoid failure is to avoid trying altogether. But looking back, I missed numerous opportunities because I feared rejection and failure. I could have made more friends if I had been less anxious about reaching out. I would have started a blog many years ago, but my fear of how people would perceive my writing prevented me.
What made me learn to be less afraid is that I have to accept my imperfections and put my fears to the test. That means approaching people despite being socially anxious. Starting to write, allowing others to read my work. By doing that, I realized people aren’t as intimidating as I thought, and though my experiences aren’t bliss and sunshine, they are not as terrible compared to what I had imagined in my mind.
The point is that by accepting myself and facing my fears. I am no longer stagnant. I am now moving toward my goals. I can improve my writing and social skills based on the feedback that I get. In retrospect, I find it amusing that all that fear and anxiety I experienced was merely a creation of my mind and that I could have taken these steps years ago. There is also a sense of liberation in realizing that fear and rejection no longer have a hold over me.
To those reading this, if there is something you want to do but fear is holding you back. I urge you to test out your fear. Perhaps you will find, as I did, that what you were afraid of was all in your head.