Question: What did you give up to get what you got?

Fear – the fear of making a mistake or being wrong.

Anger – about things over which I have no control.

Remorse – wishing I had the knowledge I have now – wanting a “do over”.

Second-guessing – not trusting my own instincts or decisions.

False security – believing lack of change was safety.

My façade – being the person I thought everyone else wanted.

Surprised?  When I initially saw the question I thought of the great sacrifices that some people make to get where they want to go and I realized that my sacrifices were giving up on myself and my happiness to stay in a place that I didn’t like.  Hanging on to things that gave me no comfort, no solace, no sense of the joy in life; I was missing out on the beauty of a life well lived.

Choosing to give up on the negative in our lives and focus on the positive sounds like such a simple concept, yet it is frightening to those of us who cling to our fears and the things that hold us back out of a false sense of security and safety.  Letting go, really flinging ourselves at happiness requires fearlessness, and a determination to give up our old selves.  Taking the risk of actively making changes is like stepping off a cliff into the vast unknown.  Yet looking at where one is presently, are you so satisfied with your life and the pleasure it brings you that it is not worth the risk of intentional change?  Or do you know when you look deeply inside that there is a better way?  To find that better way is to begin shedding the things that are holding us back, letting go of our fears and doubts and trusting that we can actively replace them with confidence and strength.  One must be brave to choose another path.  Today I will practice bravery.