Project Happiness Articles — fear

It all starts in the head. Mindset is number one. Without a clear mindset, you cannot even take the first step toward what you would like to accomplish. It’s that famous quote by Henry Ford, “whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” It has always been one of my favorite quotes because it’s true. You have to trust yourself before you can trust a new environment. You have to trust your intuition and your instinct. This comes from practice. Trusting yourself can be saying “yes” before you’re ready. This is where the majority of my greatest opportunities have come from.

I’ve thought a lot about how to write this. I’ve actually sat here, on this rainy Sunday in early September, and I’ve started it about fourteen different ways. So I’ve decided to just be honest. And write stream of consciousness— which is what I do— and see what comes out. What I want to do is tell you about Courage to Rise.   

Thoughts precede action! But the key word in that phrase is action. If we have our “ideal” life only in our heads and written out as lists that we look at occasionally throughout the year-we most likely will never reach our “ideal” self. 

How does it feel to be a role model?  I don’t feel like I’m a role model, but if I can inspire someone else to get off the couch that’s rewarding enough.  But if they get out there and feel better about themselves then that makes me feel even better.

And so it begins—the willingness to subsume our own will because of the uniquely uncomfortable feeling that comes from saying no. This phenomenon is by no means confined to youth. All of us, at some point or another, have found ourselves coming up with excuses of our own. 

I choose to live my life now empowering those weak be it by their cognitive delay, their socioeconomic status, or their lack of social confidence. Despite being a victim of child abuse and the long range effects of it, I choose to rise above. So many people stay stuck there or become abusers themselves.

At first, this title makes us feel like we’re entering a dark room. But I promise this darkness won’t stay for long, and by the end of the article, as our mind understands and gets comfortable with this truth of life, we will see bursts of light.

From a young age, Nate Dolan knew there was something wrong, something was off just a little, not enough to be noticed by others, but enough that he struggled with it. Now, at the age of 38, Dolan has come to manage his struggles and has discovered a way to help others like him.

Moving abroad may sound a bit frightening - after all, it means being surrounded by strangers, in a new place, having to adjust to a new culture. You would have to leave behind everything you know and love. But if you take your eyes off the challenges, you will realize there are numerous ways in which moving to another country can improve your life incredibly and make you happier.

I’m talking about the fear that unfailingly comes up every single time we set out to do something expansive, something enriching that’s out of our comfort zone, and that likely even calls to us and inspires us. That’s where COURAGE comes in. Courage is the ability to meet our fear and to overcome it, to show up and take action, despite it.