From my blog archives with a few new edits, Fearless was originally posted on September 21, 2016.
Is it weird to say that I admire my childhood self? When I was younger, I did whatever I wanted without fear or hesitation. There was no letting my emotions cloud my judgement. I wasn’t afraid of the dark. No anxiety about getting lost when exploring new places. I wasn’t overly conscious of how I carried myself when meeting new people and making friends. If you need help with living without fear of getting hurt, physically or emotionally, let’s talk about how to be fearless.
DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
Channel your inner child, & do what makes you happy. My favorite fearless, childhood memory that I still reflect on quite often was the day I learned how to confidently ride a bike. I was ecstatic to be riding steadily, so I decided to explore my neighborhood. I rode my bike up and down hills with my hair flowing and slowly becoming a tangled mess beneath my helmet. Little did I know, I’d return home about an hour later with a broken bicycle, sprained fingers, & a hideously bloody right leg.
The euphoric memory turned into disaster, as I was going too fast around a corner. My depth perception of how close I was actually riding next to a building was WAY OFF. With my left hand wrapped around the handle bar, I smashed it into the corner of a building, crushing my fingers. My handle bars spun counter-clockwise, & I was tossed from my bike through the air. I had a brief out of body experience, watching myself being thrown through the air. Immediately, I realized how blissfully stupid & careless I had been. I landed on my knees, slid a few feet, & didn’t stop until my right leg was trapped beneath a chain linked fence.
Despite the obviously dreadful state I was in, I didn’t shed a single tear. I still remember pulling the fence off my thigh and sliding my leg out from beneath. Slowly, I composed myself, limped back to my bike, & made my way back home literally laughing out loud at how much of an idiot I was. I still have a faint scar on my right thigh from the chain link fence, & whenever I look at my scar, I’m always reminded of my innate fearlessness as a child.
CHANNEL YOUR INNER CHILD
When adulting gets to be more than you can handle, it’s time to channel your inner child. We should all want to embody the fearlessness of childhood again. I want to live fearlessly. And I know it’s possible, because from my childhood memories, I know that I was once fearless. I don’t want to feel anxious anymore or be afraid to express myself. I want to be completely & unapologetically ME. Now, when I find myself paralyzed by fear, I do my best to remind myself that the fear only exists in my head. I’ve done so many scary things already, & I managed to make it through everything unscathed.
HOW TO BE FEARLESS?
Refuse to let fear stand in the way of your happiness. Everything I want in life is on the other side of fear. The most worthwhile things in life are beyond my reach, & outside of your comfort zone. If you want to live your life to its fullest & have everything I’ve ever wanted, believe in yourself & do it in spite of your fears & hesitation. You won’t become fearless overnight, but you can start by fearing LESS.
XO Denise
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