Do I want to do something that scares the hell out of me and learn to take it in stride if it doesn’t work out, or do I want to stay in my comfort zone and spend the rest of my life wondering what could have happened if I didn’t? When tasked with making any major decision, I’ll always choose the former—and so should you.
- You can’t be afraid of taking risks.It’s sad to live in a world where people are too scared to do anything because it lacks security. This is your one and only life. Sure, you’ll face obstacles and challenges along the journey of pursuing your dreams, but it’s part and parcel of you doing what other people would call “unrealistic.” It’s scary but so incredibly rewarding.
- Stop following the crowd. The people who criticize you and your life choices are often the same people that are unhappy with their own lives. Why? Because they’ve never done anything out of the ordinary. Because they prefer to play it safe. Because they settle. You don’t have to be like them. All you need to do is determine how you’re going to live your best life and go out there and do it.
- There’s a big world out there—take advantage of it. There’s always more to life than the situation that you’re currently living in. There are 195 countries around the globe and life is constantly evolving, so there’s always new terrain to explore, new people to meet, and new opportunities to grab with both hands. Doing so will expand your horizons and your worldview, which can only be a good thing.
- Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. There’s more to life than your current job, your relationship, or anything else that keeps you from doing what you truly want to do. Life’s for living, so make sure that you embrace it all while you have the chance. Contrary to popular belief, it’s the difficult experiences that often make us who we truly are, so put yourself out there and you might be pleasantly surprised at what happens.
- Make connections, inspire, and pursue the things that scare you. It’s good for you to scare yourself occasionally, according to health experts. In fact, you’re supposed to do one thing that terrifies you every day to help you live longer. So saddle up because if your ride isn’t rough, then you’re not doing it right.
- You’re never going to be ready. Disclaimer: don’t wait until you’re ready to do things because no one is actually ever ready to do anything. There’s no such thing as being prepared for everything in life. There’s only now, and you might as well do the things that you want to do while you have the opportunity. As cheesy as it sounds, tomorrow may never come, so don’t waste today.
- Accept that things can go wrong or not according to plan. If you’re letting fear hold you back, it’s probably because you’re thinking about everything that could potentially go wrong. Well, things go wrong all the time—that’s life. It’s how you deal with the situation that matters when things happen that you don’t expect.
- What the worst that could happen? Ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen in the situation and you’ll probably find that the answer isn’t as a bad as you initially thought. Moving across the country to study? Move back if you don’t like the school. Quitting a job so you can travel but worried you’ll run out of money fast? Get a new job. Giving someone you’re dating a second chance because they cheated? Walk away if they do it again. Put that positive spin on your deepest, darkest fears, and the rest will fall into place.
- Life’s too short to have regrets. You don’t want to be one of those people who looks back on your life when you’re 90 years old and wishes that you’d had the guts to do the things you wanted to do while you had the chance. People like that settled for security instead of their pursuit of happiness, and that’s what happens when you fight against your every urge to do and be more. You just die a little inside, all because it was too risky and you wanted to play it safe. Don’t let that be you.
Katie Davies – Katie is a freelance writer and blogger from England. In between cups of coffee, she has written for a number of businesses and publications on her three favorite subjects of fashion, travel and dating. She loves to use her personal knowledge and previous experiences to help others through her writing and blogs weekly at www.katiekat.co.uk or tweet her @kdavieswrites.