My first 'feel the fear' moment was investing financially in the blog for the first time. Do you remember the redesign?! My goal was to monetize it and turn it into a part-time income. Frankly, after working at it for a year and seeing my income, I decided to put it on the back burner (that was in 2017). That year I ended up getting one job whose payment surpassed my entire earnings from 2016. I felt like that was God's way of saying, it's ok to prioritize your family and health (2017 was the first year in many that I started working out consistently) in this season but all is not lost. PS- the project was for PBS (the network!) and has yet to go live but I'll update you when it does!

My second 'feel the fear' moment was starting my photography business in 2016. I had (and have) so much to learn but if I waited until I knew it all, I'd never act. The other day I passed a sign at a store that said "Stop asking if you're good enough. You are." YES. Of course, I have more to learn but you know what, my work is good. It just is. Ha! Each year I learn so much more than I did the year before. I get better and I get more business. I'm not even close to having arrived and usually after the busy season, I question if it's time to call it quits. But I'm still here and I'd say I'm better for it.

My third "feel the fear" moment was taking swim lessons. I know. Lame. But that sentiment is what's kept me from swimming my entire life-- feeling embarrassed and ashamed that I didn't know how to swim. I took swim lessons in college but at this point, I'd say I swim well enough to, well, not drown. Watching how well my girls swim during their lessons this year (which they didn't even need!) inspired me to go for it. I came home from one of my lessons and told the girls, "Mommy swam on her back today" and our roles were reversed. They said "good job mom!" "we're so proud of you!" while hugging me and cheering. You guys at that moment I saw not what I often see (how I'm messing up) but what a good role model I am being for them. I'm not letting fear keep me from learning something new and I won't letting shame keep me from being excited about it.

My fourth feel the fear moment was shooting a wedding. I've been asked a handful of times to do it, and no matter how casual it is, I always answer with a resounding no! I even turned down a bar mitzvah recently. ha! But this time it felt right. While I have no ambition of being a wedding photographer it was a great learning experience and I was able to bless a friend. I might even have to shoot one more to put what I learned into practice. ;)

My goal in sharing these things is to encourage you to step out and do that thing you really want to do. Don't let fear stop you from trying. I once had a friend who felt like life had passed her by. She wasn't comfortable with her weight, had just endured a broken engagement, didn't have a degree and felt behind in life. She was in her mid-30s and said to herself, "why not just do it now?" She lost weight, got a degree, and fell in love and got married all within a few years! I always thought it was so brave of her to not let the fear of rejection or the fear of failure stop her from living her best life. What's one thing you're afraid of doing? Friend, feel the fear and do it anyway. ♥

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I'd LOVE to hear your 'feel the fear' moment in the comments below. I need all the motivation I can get ♥