I have been frozen in fear. Kind of like Elsa.
I have prevented myself from taking opportunities. I have let fear take the wheel and steer.
I made all sorts of promises to myself. Proclamations to the internet. “I WILL FIGHT MY FEAR,” I shouted on social media.
And then I didn’t. I stayed in my nice comfortable house on my big squishy sofa and I didn’t leave unless it was church or something really important or to take the kids to do something awesome.
I did not go do all of those things I wanted to do. I was concerned I would show up late. Or something would be wrong. Or I would take the wrong exit, or bring the wrong things or not bring the right things, or {insert irrational fear here}.
I let the fear say “nope! You totally need to wrap yourself up in that blanket and stay right here because you got really fat and nobody wants to hang out with you because OMG, no.”
Then I took the one easy step I needed to kick that fear to the curb, get up off my couch and go be awesome.
You ready for this?
You just take one step.
That’s all you have to do. Take one step. And then keep doing that.
Take a step outside and go for a walk. Get your heart pumping. Start there.
Take a step away from the fast food and towards whole, nutritious foods. Feed your body what it needs.
THEN…
Take a step onto a sailboat, because there’s a free event and you and your traveling buddy have always wanted to try sailing.
Take a step into a sea kayak, because you keep obsessing about them and there just happens to be a gig you can attend and try them out.
Take a step away from that remote control and a step towards your yoga mat.
Take a step out of a relationship that no longer serves you.
Take a step out of a job or a hobby or anything that no longer feeds your soul (or your pocketbook) sufficiently.
It sounds totally goofy and completely cliché sometimes to say “it just takes one step”. But it does.
It may not be a physical step, but a different choice. An action. One different thing that changes the whole course of your day.
I plan on taking two steps forward in one of my side hustles and when those are in place, heading outside to take a step or two with my kids.