Fear

Fear is the thing most detrimental to the human experience. Now, I'm not just taking about phobias. I'm taking about legitimate, crippling fears that keep us from living life to the fullest.
Fear of failure.
Fear of loss.
Fear of the future.
Fear of what others think of you.
Fear of change.
Fear that someone else's choices will ruin your life, possibly forever.
I myself am guilty of being afraid, of all those things. I am afraid that I will never be able to get my work published. I'm afraid that I'll never be able to finish a novel that isn't a collection of short stories. I'm afraid of what might happen if I were to lose those in my life who are most important to me. I'm afraid that I'll never be able to pay rent, move out of my in-laws house, or be able to pay the cost of living. I'm afraid of not meeting the expectations of others, both physically and with what I make of myself. I'm afraid of how my life might change, but I'm also afraid that it might never change. Sometimes, I'm even afraid that my life will end when I'm at the movies or the mall.
But, I've come to learn that fear is the opposite of faith. If you are afraid, it is because you don't trust yourself. Or God. Or your spouse.Or your family. Or the people (who are ultimately good) around you. Or whoever. When you don't trust someone, you can't have a very good relationship with him/her. Without good relationships, life means nothing.
I may never be a published author. But I shouldn't let that spoil the joy I find in writing in the here and now.
I might lose a husband, or a brother, a parent, or friend someday. But being afraid taints the time I do have to spend with them, no matter how long that time may last.
I might not be the world's ideal. But if I worry about what other people think, it hurts my relationship with myself. I need to be my own ideal, and then give myself a break if I don't quite get there.
If I worry about the future, I will never progress: My fear will prevent me from action, and nothing will ever change.
The more afraid I am of failure, the more likely I am to fail.
Please, don't be afraid. You only have one life, so live it. Be fearless. Have trust that everything will work out in the end. And if it doesn't, at least you were along for the ride.