There are almost no guarantees in life, and the only guarantee that there is keeps a lot if people on the edge of their seats in fear. At some point, your time on this planet will expire, as harsh as this may feel, this is the only guarantee that we know from a young age. How or when this happens is the part that we are left to figure out for ourselves. But why do we let this fear of being gone from the world control our lives so much that we don’t live our lives to the fullest every single day, that we don’t do the dare deviling things because that could end it for us? Why do we let this fear grab ahold of us and take over our minds? We were put here for a reason; why not enjoy every single second?
Our brain does everything for us. From breathing, to emotions, our senses etc. but our brain limits us as well. Our brain will stop memories or block out certain things because it thinks that we are not equip to handle them. Basically, our brain is what makes us soft; our brain is what stirs this fear and our brain tries to hold us back from reaching who we were meant to be. Think about it, when you are faced with a difficult decision, and one option is not necessarily what you want to do but it’s an easier task than the second option, which you would rather do, your brain will force you more toward the easier option, just because it’s less work and less of an risk. When given any option, your natural reaction will be to play it safe, just in case something could go wrong. This is not always a bad thing, to play it safe, but do you want to spend your whole life in fear and miss out on all the crazy, adrenalin pumping things there is to do out there? Is it really worth it to you? We are given one shot on this Earth; why not make it a good one?
Last summer, my boyfriend and I went to Greece on vacation, since this is where he’s from I got to enjoy it more as a resident than as a tourist, but also because this is where he grew up, he knew the places we could go to do things i.e. cliff jumping, mountain climbing. Now, I have never jumped off of a cliff before this, and I was terrified at the sight from the top, seeing the rocks and the fish in the ocean, but with the help of him and a little bit of trash talk to myself, I did it! And then I did it again and again and again.
A few days later, we decided that we were going to climb Mt. Olympus. My boyfriend had done this several times before, but I had a mixed feeling of excitement and fear. Once we parked the car, it was about 2 ½ hours until we made it to the hostile where we were going to sleep for the night, the last 30 minutes however was a torrential down pour and forced us to go even faster up this steady incline. The next morning, we woke up early and began walking to the summits, knowing that many people had lost their lives here and that one wrong step could end it for myself as well, I said cautious. I felt like the climb would never end and I could feel myself becoming more and more tired, but after another 2 hours, we were on the tops of Mt. Olympus breathing in the fresh clean air, taking in the beauty of the world and celebrating ourselves for overcoming fear and doubt.
In these moments, I realized that the saying “you can do anything that you put your mind to” is unbelievably true and that everything is scary the first time it happens, but how you overcome that is what makes you stronger as a person. That by taking the first step, you may find new things that excite you and that you love to do; finding a sense of freedom if you will. Pushing yourself further and further outside of your comfort zone and expanding both your life experiences as well as your mind.
I have never been a person of great fear, I get hesitant at times when new things are presented to me, but I will always try them. This is a rule that I have created for myself and live by everyday. “You never know unless you try” was a phrase my father used to say to me all the time while I was growing up. And the older I get, the truer it is. How do you know that you don’t like something if you have never experienced it for yourself? Do you take other peoples opinions and craft them for your own? Do you let the experience of others dictate how you live your own life? Are you so afraid of something going wrong that you keep yourself in your safe bubble at all times? If so, my two questions for you are: Why? And is this ultimately how you want to spend your days here on Earth?
Death is imminent and at one point or another our time on this planet will pass and make way for a new generation. The important thing is to take full advantage of the time that you still have left and live it to the fullest! Make bucket lists and complete them do one thing a day that scares you and sooner or later the dooming cloud of fear will eventually drift away and you will have lived a happy and adventurous life instead of a meek and scared one. Experience the world for what it is, I promise, you will enjoy it and appreciate it wayyyy more once you do!
Now it’s your turn!
What experiences do you all have that allowed you to overcome the fear of dying?
The Clarity Of Mind 