Fearless?

I often get accused of being fearless.  I'm constantly trying to do things that push me beyond my comfort zone.  It's not uncommon for me to do something alone simply because I don't know anyone else who wants to do it. I've actually met some of my favorite people this way.  But I need to make something abundantly clear.

It's not that I'm fearless.  I'm actually terrified.  I'm a complete scaredy-cat.

I just do it anyway.

I refuse to be a victim of my fear.  As a matter of fact, if something REALLY scares me, I often push myself to do it more.  I would hate to get to the end of my life, having run from opportunity and experience, simply because of a little fear. 

And as a result, I've traveled to Africa (and been named by a Zambian Cheif), skydived, am a triathlete, half-marathoner, and Tough Mudder, hand-fed crazy, wild, ravenous Parrot fish in Hawaii, climbed mountains, walked through a rainforest to a volcano, explored the Pyramids, was mugged by a baboon, was gifted a ring by a sweet little girl in a Honduran village, felt the exhilaration of jumping off a cliff, and so much more.  I even opened a Wellness Center.  The amazing thing about all of this, is the paths that crossed along the way.  I think of all the people I have met from feeling the fear and doing it anyway, and the gifts they bring.  I think of all the lives that changed as a result of those meetings... how much MY life changed as a result of those meetings...

Once again, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Charlie "Tremendous" Jones:  "You are the same  today as you will be five years from now except for two things: the books you read and the people you meet."

Fear can do two things. It can keep you alive, or it can keep you from truly LIVING. When we refuse

to step outside our comfort zone, we can never truly grow.  Just like the eagle needs to step out of the nest to fly, we need to leave our comfort zone to truly live.  I often think of how to boil a frog when I get too comfortable. If you threw him in a pot of boiling water, he'd just jump out.  But when you slowly turn the heat up, he just dozes off until he's cooked.

Are you in your comfort zone?  Or are you learning how to fly?