Letter 2 - What Are You Afraid Of?

What are you so afraid of? What are you so scared to try? What is so wrong with failure?

It doesn’t matter what these questions pertain to in life, whether it’s trying new things, taking your health back, applying for a different job, or introducing yourself to someone new?

Why accept “content” as a way of life? Content is not an adjective to describe your life…Life is meant to be lived to its fullest potential! Is staying comfortable more important than finding out what could be?

Now I am not saying you should go out and get hurt, but what’s so bad about failing? What is so bad about putting yourself out there? How will you ever find your true potential in anything if you only give what you know you are capable of?

Yes, in love, you could give your heart fully and you might not get that love in return… but it might be the most amazing relationship if you show up completely for it.

Yes, you might try something new and potentially look silly or people might even giggle at you and in hindsight you realize you are terrible or need a whole lot of practice…. But what if you learn that you’ve been holding yourself back from something fun and enjoyable because of what others might think or say.

Yes, you could apply for a job and not get it… but you might get the job of your dreams and you won’t know unless you try.

Yes, getting back into shape is difficult and not always fun and it could feel at times like taking two steps forward and three steps back… but what if you find those steps will lead you to a dance class that you love, allowing for new friendships, getting healthier and living a longer, fuller life? What happens if you face your fear and do it anyway? Don’t you want to know???

There is a quote that I love about mountain climbing:

You cannot stay on the summit forever, you have to come down. So why bother going up in the first place? Just this; those above know what is below, but those below will never know what is above. Ones climbs, one sees, one descends, one no longer sees… but one can still know.

So again I ask, what is so scary about failure? Nothing is an absolute failure if you can learn something from it. You gave your heart to someone who couldn’t give it back- but you now know how to love better. You tried something new and everything went wrong and you have to reevaluate what you’ve learned, however now you are better equipped to learn more. You applied for a job and you didn’t get it, but now your resume is up to speed and you’ve got in more practice at interviewing. You had a terrible weekend of eating and not exercising, but there is no reason you can’t just go back at it again on Monday. All is never lost unless you quit trying.

Even with the quote about reaching the summit: Let’s say you failed to make it to the top and had to turn back early; you always learn more by starting the endeavor no matter the outcome then you ever will by never starting only because you are afraid to fail. It’s always the journey and not the destination that sustains us.

We here at Longview Parks and Recreation will support, encourage, and admire anyone who is trying to better themselves no matter where in their journey they are starting.

The world needs more encouragers, there are already enough critics.

So let us ask, when was the last time you tried something for the first time?

Our Longview Parks and Recreation Staff want to provide you those opportunities and we are here to serve and encourage you! Come try something new with us!