“So this, I believe, is the central questions upon which all creative living hinge: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within in you?” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Fear: that unpleasant emotion that causes us to crawl back into our safety bubble rather than create the life of our dreams.
For most of my life, I have let fear and self-doubt control most of my decisions. Instead of believing in myself and pursing my dreams, I choice to believe that little voice in my head that would whisper to me “You are not good enough”
Growing up, I knew I wanted to share my thoughts and ideas, but I had trouble expressing myself. I was afraid to speak up, for fear I would be laughed at or judged. I didn’t want to fail others and I especially didn’t want to fail myself.
Then, about a year ago, in yoga class, I heard this quote, “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears”. I realized that the whisper that I always thought was my friend and kept me “safe” has kept me living an ordinary life, not an extraordinary life. At the age of 35, I had finally reached a turning point. Right after class, I went home and journaled my dreams and desires. On the top of that list was yoga and blog. Two things I’ve always wanted to do, but have always been afraid to purse. I wanted a blog that is a safe place for me to grow, share, and help others, like myself.
Since that yoga class, my life has been forever changed. I signed up for yoga teacher training that week and started putting my thoughts on paper. Yoga transformed my life and I wanted to share and document my new journey. I thought, “If yoga helped me face my fears, then maybe it could help others.” What better way to face fear head on then by expressing myself to the world?
Fear will always be there, but rather than let it control me, I’m learning how to use it for good. It takes willingness to continue facing fear time and time again. I’m excited for this next adventure in my life. Who knows where it will take me. All I do know is that creating the life I love is way more exciting than playing it safe. Here a few things I journaled to help me along the way:
Vision
Write your dream down and then visualize yourself accomplishing that dream. What does it look like How do you feel? Really get a sense of what it’s like to live your dreams.
Plan
Make a plan to accomplish your dreams. Ask your self, “What steps can I take to achieve my dreams?” Maybe it means speaking with someone or signing up for a class. How can you get to where you want to be?
Begin
Now that you have your steps written down in front of you it’s time to begin. If you feel fear sneaking up, revisit #1 and visualize what it’s like to live that dream. Take that first step, and don’t let fear get in the way.
Gather up all your dreams and write them down. It doesn’t matter how big or how crazy they seem. They’re your dreams to live and no one else’s to live. The moment you decide to face your fears is the moment you start to truly live.
Kimmy lives in the Denver area. She is currently working hard on her website, but you can be notified when it is live! We definitely recommend that you follow her on Instagram! Here are three fun facts about Kimmy:
1. I was super shy in high school and I used to hate it. In college, I made myself take a ton of speech classes. I ended up majoring in Speech Communications.
2. I auditioned 5 times for the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders. I didn't have a dance background, so instead of just accepting that as my reality, I signed up for dance classes. I finally made it on my 5th try and cheered for the Broncos for 5 seasons.
3. I have a 3 month old baby girl, named Kai, and she is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
