I’ve been challenged in my life and I have been afraid. I’m not going to tell you that I’m always a positive person or that I exude confidence all of the time. When there are big decisions to be made or there is a challenge, I have a tendency to over-think the situation. Fear creeps in and I get scared.Scared that I will make the wrong decision or even scared that I won’t be strong enough to stick with the decision that I do make.
Fear Sucks!
But with every decision there is a choice. To let fear make the decision for me or for me to take a stand and make the decision like a man, and follow through with the choice.
The funny thing about life is that it doesn’t matter what my decision is or how scared I am, the sun will always rise the next day.
Life always continues moving forward and time never stops, which is why even though I was afraid, I couldn’t let fear keep me from actually taking action. If I hesitated, I might not have ever:
Got married, bought a house, had kids, written for Arnold Schwarzenegger, and every major fitness publication, and co-authored best selling fitness DVD’s.
Fear is a Liar!
One powerful lesson I learned the hard way is that the times when I thought I had to make these decisions alone, I didn’t. I didn’t have to fight the fear by myself. I should have reached out to the people who were my biggest fans. You know, the ones who believed in me more than I believed in myself?
That is a big life lesson, so please take notes.
When people believe in you, you can do great things. And when you do the first great thing, you feel like you can do another…and another.
You become powerful and finally take your life back.
You gain momentum and before you know it, you’re chasing that feeling of awesome everyday.
Fear is a liar and it will kill your dreams if you’re not careful. But if you trick fear, and make the tough decisions anyway, you will win. And winning is much sweeter if you have your family and friends by your side, cheering you on.
Jim Smith is a highly respected, world-renowned strength and conditioning coach. A member of the LIVESTRONG.com Fitness Advisory Board, Jim has been called one of the most "innovative strength coaches" in the fitness industry. Training athletes, fitness enthusiasts and weekend warriors, Jim has dedicated himself to helping them reach "beyond their potential." He is also the owner of Diesel Strength & Conditioning in Elmira, NY.
