The picture here is me on a boat. You might not be able to tell from this picture but I don’t like boats. In fact, I am afraid of boats. Well, I’m actually afraid of getting seasick on a boat, which happened to me on a whale watching trip. I was sick and trapped on a boat for hours. So naturally I am afraid of that happening again. I avoid boats. I avoid all boats…and yet, there I am…on a boat.

I’ll back up a bit in the story. I never intended to be on this boat. I hadn’t signed up to go on this trip. In fact, I had purposely NOT signed up for this excursion. But, well some things aren’t always quite as simple as we try to make them, are they?

This particular boat trip was going to be taking place on the last night of a week long retreat I was on.

THE LAST NIGHT!

It was an all day affair where the boat went from cove to cove and they told us all we had to do was to relax on the boat and enjoy our last day together as a group. I didn’t want to miss this last day of friendship, sharing, reflection and connection, but it was all going to happen ON A BOAT!

I HATE BOATS!

It is obvious from the picture that I got on the damn boat. In part, it was due to some persuasive colleagues who assured me of the calm conditions, the sea sickness pills offered to me and several people telling me of the special day this boat trip would be. But what really moved the needle for me was the realization that I was letting my fear rob me of a thing I wanted to do.

As you can imagine, the day was just as described. The conditions were calm, the conversations were fun and the day proved to be a very good way to wrap up a week retreat. It was everything and more and I am so grateful I steeled myself and went. But I nearly didn’t go. Imagine that?

What fears do you let rob you of some aspect of life and living? Is there a way you can challenge your thoughts that tell you that just because you are afraid, you shouldn’t try?

Emotions like fear, are just that, emotions. They come, they go and they don’t always mean what we think they mean. How often do you decide to avoid something just because you are afraid? But what accomplishments or achievements do you have because you challenged the fear or felt it and did the thing anyway.

“Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it…that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.” Dale Carnegie