I know. Kinda late to be writing about my New Years resolution, but it's still 2017, right?
The obvious - I failed to update my blog for a few months. A bit of procrastination, and a bit of life filled with new and same ol' adventures including a new boyfriend. Seriously, I met him about two weeks before my last blog post, and I'm just getting back to here.
Last week, I attended my niece's fancy NYC high school graduation. I was hoping SOMEONE with a NAME would speak and maybe I'd get a cool selfie or story to tell. Well, we got a YouTube star, and she brought a message I needed to hear. Michelle Poler is known for 100 Days Without Fear, a project in which she did 100 terrifying things in 100 days. This project inspired her to create Hello Fears, which chronicles "stories of courage from everyday people." Michelle is now a global speaker who has appeared on a range of stages from TEDx to Facebook.
A few of Michelle's fear-related points resonated with me:
- Fear is limited.
- You can step forward into growth or backwards into safety.
- Every time you choose a comfortable path you're moving backward.
- Instead of concentrating on "what's the worst that could happen," think about "what's the best that could happen."
These pieces of advice are...practical, so last weekend, I faced one of my own fears. All right, all right. Kayaking isn't exactly scary, but it's scary when you're a person who wants to limit vulnerability, and you know that semester of swim lessons in college didn't really stick with you. I mean if I fell out of the boat, would I survive? :-)
I totally did, and not only that, I had fun. Special shoutout to the friend who keeps insisting I be outdoorsy and did 90% of the rowing. He's in the pic, too. Don't you see the shadow?
One last random thought - I love how my outfit perfectly matches the kayak. That was serendipity.