When Fears Become Favorites...

It's a very strange feeling when something that used to scare the living daylights out of you becomes one of the things you look forward to the most in the world. It is very unsettling to discover that something you had accepted as a constant in your life completely changes form. 

Sometimes it is all at once. One day a situation, place or person can be a routine avoidance and cause of worry, and then out of nowhere your world has altered forever and there is a vast change in your mentality. And then other times it slowly creeps out of nowhere, changing one thought at a time until you begin to think to yourself, 'this isn't so scary anymore' and you steadily gain confidence in your abilities. 

I have many fears, a few somewhat rational - horses, cliffs and bumps in the night - and others just barking mad. But one thing that leaves me quaking in my boots is interacting with strangers. The thought of putting myself out there in front of people who have every right to judge me based on their first impressions of my body language, appearance, and the undoubtedly stupid words that exit my mouth terrifies me. 

But a few months ago that began to change. I began to enjoy conversing with different people from all walks of life and discovering new things about them. I found myself loving it. But the biggest thing I have learned is that it is us who justify these fears to ourselves. 

I had no reason to fear interactions with these people. It was me who had built it up in my mind to be 10 times worse than in reality, and as I began to discover it was I who was at fault. I had been judging every person, just as I had been fearing they would of me, automatically expecting the worse from them.

So I guess what I'm trying to get at is try something new. Rip your way out of that cozy comfort zone you have built for yourself and try something new. You just might surprise yourself.