Conquering Fears

Over the holiday break, my boys and I had a chance to do some rock climbing on a climbing wall. You pull on the harness. They clip you in. You choose "Easy," "Medium," or "Hard." And off you go.

It sounds so simple, and really, the wall isn't that high. But about halfway up, I caught a glimpse of the down. I had to refocus myself on simply finding the next handhold. Conquering my fears one step at a time.

My 13-yo got to just about the same point when he called down, "I think I have to come down!" He'd hit that same wall. But he didn't know how to get past it.

Now, I knew he was safe. He was buckled in. The rope and mechanisms would catch him if he fell. I'd already done it myself, and I knew he could do it. 

So I called to him, "Keep going! You're almost there. You can do this!"

And he did. He made it to the top. Pressed the buzzer in proof, then rappelled down to safety. Man, was that kid proud of himself!" He had faced down his fears and come out the other side as the conquering hero. There is something truly empowering in that.

Fear is a real thing. It can take hold of our minds and hearts, and can physically make us ill. It can keep us from doing the things we want to do, or from even trying to accomplish the things we want to accomplish. It whispers in our ears:

You aren't good enough.
That is too hard for you.
You should stick to what you know.

But those are lies. If we refocus ourselves, take things one step at a time, and stop thinking about those fears, we can conquer them! Maybe not on our first try, but if we keep trying, it will happen.

Sometimes we need outside support, and that's okay! That's why you should surround yourself with people who build you up. People who believe in you. People who can see things from a different perspective. Find those people! Search them out, then hold them close. I know it's made a huge difference in my life.

Conquering fears is hard. It can be scary. It can take time. LOTS of it! But I tell you what, that feeling you get when you finally make it is worth it.

Remember.

You ARE good enough!
Nothing is too hard if you're determined.
Learning new things is amazing!

What fears are you hoping to conquer?