Inspirational Note #1: Stopping Fear In Its Tracks
Everyone talks about their fears, right? Heights, falling, spiders, and so on. Nevertheless, a fear that you may not frequently hear is the one that people live with every single day: the fear of what other people think of you.
No matter what anyone says, everyone judges everything. They decide—sometimes instantly—if they like something or not, whether it be the newest Taylor Swift album, the way that girl in their guitar class responded to a joke an hour ago, or the way their parents present a new house rule the previous month. Although many of these judgments don’t actually make it out of someone’s mouth and into the world, the thought of them still shapes other’s actions.
And to be truthfully honest: is it worth it? Do you feel the need to tell someone every single time they are wearing a shirt that you have deemed “weird”? Do you need to tell everybody your views on someone’s reaction to a story? The reality is that most people don’t. Everyone has an opinion, but unless it’s essential to your life or asked for, most won’t give it to you.
Why? To be frank, most people have their own issues. They are already too concerned with if you’re judging what they’re doing or wearing to be worried about informing you that your red Jordans are too bright or that your backpack has too many patches of David Bowie all over it. Other people aren’t sitting there and watching your every move because to be completely honest, everyone else is focusing on how others perceive them, just like you.
In today’s world, so many people are discouraged from doing the things they love because they are living with the mentality that they will be judged or mocked for doing what they enjoy. The true reality is that you can live your life in a way that makes you happy. Raise your hand to answer the teacher’s question, express yourself through art or personal style, go out for that sports team, join a club, go to prom. If you see fear on your way there, give it a wink and keep going because you can. We are human beings and we have the amazing opportunity to do what brings us joy and happiness.
Some people may have a problem with you doing certain activities—and that’s okay—but you are entitled to do what you love and no one can tell you differently. If someone does decide to try and throw some fear in your face, ask yourself why. Chances are that that person has a lot of fear behind their confident facade. Although it appears that they are judging you and are trying to get over it the wrong way. Human beings usually do things for a reason; sometimes it’s helpful to try and figure out why.
I know this is sounding like a million positive quotes thrown into a short writing piece, but more people need to hear this. If you aren’t happy, it is your responsibility to fix it because no one else can or will do it for you. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own happiness. You. Don’t stop yourself from doing something that could be amazing just because you could get looked at as “strange” or “weird”. Labels are just labels and they don’t mean that much out in the world, just in your head.
Go live your best life and never let fear stop you.
