I want you to think of someone that you admire. Someone you look up to. Someone you’re inspired by. It could be someone you know. Or, it might be someone you’ve never met. Some who deeply inspire me I have never met.
In life we work to build a safe haven. A place of comfort. A place we feel secure and taken care of. And then we build a wall around it as to not let people in. And we live there. Too scared to leave to it, yet always dreaming of more.
Now back to those that we admire, that inspire us. I’ve come to find that these people have 2 things in common.
1. They take chances. Even with great risk. They would risk it all for that which fulfills them. They gladly give up comfort for a life of happiness.
2. They allow themselves to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable actually allows them to take greater chances. It is the cornerstone of love, happiness, creativity, courage, empathy and on and on and on. I read somewhere that vulnerability is “where courage & fear meet.” It’s “life asking you…. are you all in.”
I know how hard it is to break down your walls and be vulnerable. Our walls are like a candy coating. Most are a thin coating like the candy coating on an m&m. My wall was once described as a jawbreaker coating. It isn’t easy, not in the slightest. However I found the more I allowed myself to be vulnerable, the more alive I felt. Once we break down our walls we have to leave this place of comfort. Take those chances. The greater joys of living can only come with great risk. They don’t just appear on your doorstep. Are you all in?
A CHALLENGE to you – Over the next few days get to know someone. Maybe someone you know. An acquaintance. Someone you’ve never met. Dig into their life. Their passions. Their dreams. Be the hand they need for a little push to chase after it. Help them define the first steps. And be their encouragement. I think that while encouraging someone else to live their dreams, you’ll gain the courage to chase after your own. Others will be inspired by you. It’s a domino effect. You just have to start it.
Life is meant to be lived. Not sheltered behind walls in safe haven. Go.
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