Learning to Take My Own Advice

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope that you all enjoyed spending time with loved ones over MDW — I know that I did. With packing, getting to the airport and traveling on Monday, I wasn’t able to get a post out for you guys, but I’m back! Instead of doing a style-based post today, I wanted to focus on something completely different: Fear.

Some people are scared of spiders or have a thing about eating different condiments, but I’ve always had a fear of heights. Ferris wheels? Yep. Glass elevators? You know it. Rooftop decks? Obviously. 

The reason why I wanted to write this blog post was to talk about the importance of using your fear to fuel your spirit, instead of breaking it down. This past weekend, I decided that I wanted to go to this Canopy Walk and Emergent Tower that’s in Cleveland. Obviously when I decided I wanted to go, I was well aware that my fear of heights might be problematic, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me!

That’s not the first example of a time that I refused to let my fear of heights keep me from doing something cool. When I was in Italy this past summer, my aunt suggested that we take a cable car ride over the mountains to this town called Renon. Of course I agreed, but in the back of my mind I was like, “OMG. OMG. OMG.” But, like the climb from this past weekend, I didn’t let my fear get the best of me.

Well, those stories of overcoming my fear may be fine and dandy, but I’m human, just like you! If you’ve been to Florence, Italy and have seen the Duomo, you probably know that you can climb to the top of the bell tower. I thought that it would be a really cool experience, but as I stood in line to go inside the tower, I was just like, “Yup, yeah no — not happening. Let’s go.” I didn’t go to the top because I was scared!!! And honestly, I regret it so much. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the courage to go up to the top, but I like to think that the next time around, it would be different.

Whether you’re afraid of heights, like me, or your fear takes an entirely different shape, we can all find common ground with each other. Some people choose to see fear as this elusive thing that can derail all of their plans, which don’t get me wrong — it can. But the key to living with your fears is to accept them and move forward. However your fear manifests in your life, don’t run from it — embrace it! Looking back on my fear of heights, it seems stupid to even think that I would let something so small keep me from doing cool things.

I wouldn’t say that I have a fear of many things, but in addition to my fear of heights, I’m also scared of failure. I guess that explains why I’m always working on something LOL. I’m all about keepin’ it real up in here, my friends! I think that because I’m such a go-with-the-flow personality, it can be hard for me to have a concrete answer about everyone’s favorite question: What’s next? Because I don’t have an answer, I start to worry that I’m doing something wrong because I haven’t figured it all out yet.

When I was at home this past weekend, I was chatting with a couple of friends about how I moved down to South Carolina on a whim. One of my nearest and dearest friends told me that she wondered what my thoughts and feelings would be after six months of living there, but she knew there was no talking me out of going.

I guess in a lot of ways, I compensate for the fear that I have by making a plan and sticking to it. I’m definitely stubborn in that way! Of course I was worried about being on my own and the chance that failure could derail what I had created thus far. But honestly, staying positive and accepting my fears is what keeps me accountable and on track for the things that I want to accomplish.

Fear aside, you’ve just got to do you! Thinking about moving, but waiting for the right time? Do it now because there will never be a right time! Want to start your career over for something completely different? Make the jump! We can do anything that we set our minds to with a little positivity! I don’t believe in luck whatsoever, but I do believe in hard work. Instead of pushing your fear to the side and compartmentalizing it, embrace it and grow! Learn from your fears and move forward!

If you’ve made it this far in the blog post, congrats! You’re awesome! Well, you’re all really awesome people for following along and I truly appreciate your constant support! As always, if you ever have any questions, please comment below! Also, if you’re wondering about all the flower photos in this post, they were taken at the same place as the Canopy Walk and Emergent Tower. Holden Arboretum has a ton of flowers in bloom right now, so you should definitely check it out if you’re in town!

Have an awesome rest of the week, friends! Woohoo, it’s already Wednesday!

Until next time,

Alicia <3