I love this quote by Anthony Hopkins. Such an incredible reminder that we only get one life, so let’s not waste it being afraid of rejection. Let’s not get to the end and regret the things we missed out on because of fear.

I find fear to be so fascinating. Far more pervasive than we imagine, it rules our lives. If you ask people what they’re afraid of, most will say they don’t have any fears. Or they’ll go to the usual random things like heights or clowns. But in reality, we go through much of life being driven by fear (or avoidance which is created by fear). Perhaps it’s because we don’t feel like we have the skills to navigate tricky situations. In fact, many people feel these skills are innate. We either have them or we don’t. I’m here to tell you that this simply is not true. I would argue that almost everything is a skill that can be developed no matter where you land on the spectrum. To be clear, I’m saying almost everything is a skill because I’m keeping my mind open to the idea that there are things that might not be a skill, though I can’t actually think of a single thing that falls into that category right now.

What good news! You can learn how to do anything! You can get better, become proficient, even become an expert at anything. It’s amazing to think of what you can become with a little intentionality, isn’t it?

Read this quote again. Have you ever wanted to give someone a compliment, but chose not to because you thought it might seem strange (you were afraid of being judged)? Have you ever wanted to do something silly or weird like dance at an outdoor music festival or slide in your socks at the mall because the floor was super slippery, but chose not to because of fear? These are things I’ve done recently, but a few years ago I never would have been able to because I would have been way too scared of judgment.

The freedom that comes from letting go of fear is incredible. So take a minute today and do something that feels a little bit scary to you. Live life to the fullest. Eat good food, jump into the ocean, and walk in the sunshine.