Overcoming Fear

"I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence/ Fear is such a weak emotion that's why I despise it/ We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth/ So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you/ Sometimes I’m like the only person I feel safe to tell it to."

These are lyrics from Lupe Fiasco's song Words I Never Said.

3 Reasons To Travel When You're Young

These lyrics ring very true for me. I am scared of almost everything. Whether that be failure, rejection, or the unknown. I absolutely hate it; I despise the fact that I let fear control me. I have passed up many opportunities and have kept my mouth shut too often because I was scared. I don't want to live a life of what-ifs anymore.

One of my Facebook friends posted this article (picture on the right) on their wall, and from the title I didn't hesitate to read it. I suggest you do the same by clicking on the link and reading the article before reading further.

I have always loved traveling. I've traveled many places around the United States; I have relatives from the Midwest that my family visit almost every year, and when I was about seven my family went on a road trip from Oregon to Illinios. I wish we had gone when I was older for I would have appreciated it much more. I have been to Mexico once for a mission trip, but other than that I haven't really been anywhere. It may sound cliche, but I have always had the desire to travel and experience all the world has to offer. I want to meet new, fascinating people. As Switchfoot said in their song Awakening, "I want to live like I know what I'm leaving". I don't want to live my whole life knowing that for most of it I was sheltered, consumed in my own little world. I don't want to use "Yeah, but..." as an excuse anymore. I crave adventure but too often I let the fear of the unknown hold me too tightly. For these reasons, I have decided I want to either study abroad next year, or take a year off when I graduate and travel before I decide what I want to do next on this journey we call life.

I also want to challenge you to do something that you've always wanted but thought you were too young (or too old), too inexperienced, or too scared to try. The more excuses we make for not doing something, the less likely we are to ever achieve it, and although the term "YOLO" is highly overused as an excuse to do very stupid, trivial things, it's true.You do only live once.