This is my story but it also your story, it is the story of every person who has ever taken a walk (leap of faith) for something they believe in. It is a reminder that there is nothing to fear but fear itself.I am a professional mixed martial artist; I enter a 28-foot cage with another human being and for 15 minutes or less we attempt to separate each other from consciousness. It is a cocktail of emotions that are hard to explain but I would like to try in hopes that it can help you.There is a point when I have entered the arena when my hands are wrapped and my gloves are on. My body is covered in sweat from warm up and I’m standing behind a curtain with my coaches, two people I love most in this world.
The event coordinator stands in front of me, headset on and a clipboard in his hands. He shouts something I can never hear, the music is too loud and the crowd is screaming. I can feel the energy, the tension in the building is palpable and traveling through the air, walls, and ground. I can feel my team behind me hoping to lend support in a moment that I must face all on my own.The co-ordinator points at me and holds up his hand displaying five fingers, they slowly start disappearing one at a time. My song hits the speakers (A Little Piece by The Jezabels) it is my anthem, urging me onwards. He pulls the curtain aside and it is time. It’s time to walk and even though I’m terrified of what might happen, terrified of losing, of underperforming and of letting people down, I walk. I have the same fears that you have, the same fears we all have but in spite of them, I take a step, and then another and another. A smile reaches my lips and I find joy in the fear.
We are often confused about fear, wishing it to disappear, leave us alone and never force us out of our comfortable safety. It’s a natural survival instinct but I’m urging you embrace that feeling it is important. Fear shows us what we value and desire, it lends motivation to the task and represents an opportunity to grow. Fear helps us to live deeply, to experience the full range of emotions that we are so lucky to be able to feel.
We all have a “walk” in our life, mine happens to be to a cage. Yours might be into a boardroom, onto a plane, or up the driveway of the person, you have been thinking about for days. The walk is crippling; it represents the unknown and even worse the potential for failure something we all fear even more. I have made that walk 15 times and I am always afraid, sometimes more, sometimes less but always afraid.
Despite the fear I will always walk because in doing so I am acknowledging that what I am creating is greater than the fear, that it matters more. I hope that by facing my fears I can bring hope to those who have not yet gathered the strength to confront their own. So I’m challenging you to step up to your curtain, to embrace the fear and find joy in the potential for growth. One day you will stand there, ready to make your walk and feel nothing…you will miss it.