...And They Flew

Point to ponder: “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.” - Paulo Coelho  

Story Line:
“Come to the edge,” he said. 

They said, “we are afraid.”

“Come to the edge,” he said. 

They came. He pushed them...

and they flew.” *   -Unknown 

 Reflection by Rajiv Shah:

Two voices live within all of us - one of possibility and one of fear. One often dominates the other and it is often fear that wins. It’s safer and more predictable. It hedges the bets before they've even been made. It lives in us all, a seeming friend concerned about our well-being, whispering to us whenever we move into the unknown. When we dare to push the limits of our capabilities and the breadth of our power, it comes to our side. It wants us to play safe. It feeds on our insecurities and cultivates our failures. It uses disappointment against us, putting it on display whenever we begin to strive for something greater.

We listen to this voice when we push back our hopes and dreams. Fear works from a negative – from something being taken, from not being control, and most dangerous - not being good enough. If that is the voice we choose and that is what we put out – then that is exactly what we will get back in return.

What if we chose the opposite? Try it. It's scary as hell. Do something you've wanted that means a lot to you and that you've been putting off. Start small. It could be anything – making a phone call to someone you think is important, smiling at people even though they may not smile back, getting to the gym, or taking that first step to pursuing your dreams. The beauty is that positivity works the same way, the more you put out and the more will come back. 

See if that voice comes in. The one that tells you that it's silly, that it won't work, and that it's not for you right now. Pay attention to what it says and to why you will or will not listen anymore. I almost guarantee that it will be there every step of the way. The choice will be yours whether you give in to it. 

*In the original post of May 2010, the reader microCEO pointed out that the storyline quote was not by the person mentioned so the name removed