My friend Fred.

“Fearless is not the absence of fear. Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you.”

Taylor Swift

Is there any such thing as being fearless?

Over and over I have heard people make a comment about others appearing to be fearless. “I wish I could be more like them, they are not afraid of anything…”. I have even heard the comment directed at me. And I can tell you honestly that nothing could be further from the truth.

So that poses the question for me… Is there any such thing as fearless? Do fearless people exist? Or… do those brave, accomplished souls we envy just treat their fear differently?

Let me share with you how I deal with fear. What role does it play in my life because fear exists for me every single day? It is always present. Riding alongside me wherever I go. Afraid I don’t have enough knowledge to do my job correctly. Afraid I am not talented enough to commission the next painting. Afraid to go on a first date… or a second, for that matter. Afraid to publish my book.

I am afraid of almost everything and anything, but fear is not my enemy. The only enemy is me IF I let that fear rule me. IF I let that fear stop me. I have accepted fear as a part of my everyday life. I have stopped waiting for it to go away to move on because I have learned throughout my anxiety-riddled days that fear will never go away. So the only way I would do the things I wanted to do was to take fear along with me. Hold its hand as I walk. Pack it up in my backpack and lug it around with me. Tie it up in a bow and wear it fashionably around my neck.

My fear comes with me everywhere. It has become my constant companion and I now welcome it. Now when I sense fear, I feel like I am on the right track. Challenging myself. Pushing myself. Fear is my motivator. It is my friend… I think I’ll name it Fred.

So Fred… where are we going today? Let’s kick some ass shall we?