Go Ahead ... Take The Picture!

It's normal to sometimes compare yourself to others; whether they be people that you actually know or just people you know of. Even the most confident person will have days when they think someone else does something better than they do. We'll doubt our abilities, our confidence will waver, and we'll secretly wonder if we can do it (whatever IT is).

There will always be someone I think bakes or cooks better than I do, prays better (out loud) than me, sings better, draws better, has more patience, has a better public speaking voice, and takes better pictures. Today I took a picture with my cell phone from the parking lot where I work of a perfect sunrise. I was in the moment. I don't have that natural ability to take the perfect picture like some people do, but today I took a chance. It was too good of an opportunity to not at least TRY.

Judge for yourself. I posted this photo to Facebook this morning and got 40+ Likes and plenty of comments that involved 'Oohs' and 'Ahhs'. Wow! Who knew I had it in me to take such an inspiring photo? The colors were vivid and the lighting was perfect.

The point is that we need to be willing to take a chance. We might surprise ourselves. We might take that perfect picture or bake the perfect pie or hit the spine-tingling high note. Nothing ventured, nothing lost. 

When's the last time you did something and surprised yourself with how well you did?

What Are You Afraid Of?

FEAR. It can be an extremely intimidating word for having just 4 letters. Fear can slow you down or speed you up. It can also stop you in your tracks and make you feel completely helpless. Everyone is afraid of something (if they're being honest).

 

Maybe you're afraid of heights or afraid of the water or afraid of riding in an airplane or afraid of clowns (that seems to be a popular one). What's my biggest fear? Well, snakes and spiders are pretty high up on my list. I also consider myself to be borderline claustrophobic. I get extremely anxious if I'm in close quarters and feel trapped and can't move - it doesn't make for a pleasant experience when I go for a MRI. I have to really try the mind-over-matter techniques and take my mind to a happier, calmer place (where I usually try to imagine there's a lot of room).

 

Most of us are afraid of something, but then there are those situations that we can be intimidated by too. Some people are afraid to try new things because they're afraid of failure. Afraid of not measuring up to other people's expectations and afraid of disappointing the people we care about.

 

Some people are afraid of change in general; anything that rocks their boat or messes with their comfort zone. Some people work REALLY hard to control (or regain control of) certain aspects in their life where they feel they may have a bit more authority. There are so many times in our lives when we feel we have little say in what is happening that we worry, we lose sleep, and we often feel lost. Yet other people's lives are so dictated and regimented (often by other people) that they may experience the opposite ... they may be afraid that things will never change.

 

Fear is a BIG deal and it can have a lot of power over us if we allow it to. My daughter used to be afraid of roller coasters that went upside down. So what did she do? She faced her fear. She took baby steps and rode a few rides that took her upside down and rolled her over ... and over ... and over again. Of course she was wise enough to do it before she ate lunch. But the point is that she did it. For that one day at Cedar Point with her new college friends she chose not to let her fear run her life. I say 'good for her'. It was a valuable lesson and a major accomplishment.

 

Pick your battles and be smart about them. Start small with self-challenges you think are attainable. Put one success under your belt and then pick another. We won't be able to battle them all, but that's o.k. We'll have the satisfaction of knowing we conquered some of them. So ... what frightens you? What takes your breath away or makes your knees go weak?