A little braver today.....a story of a girl and a horse and fear....again

My heart fell into the pit of my stomach today. I knew she was falling before it happened. She knew she was falling, but she couldn't stop it. 

My 6 year old daughter fell off this horse today. It's her second fall since she's been riding, and I know it won't be her last. Falling off a horse is part of riding a horse. 

What is amazing to me is that she got right back up and rode again. 

I know she was scared when she fell. I know she was a little scared when she got back on, but I'm learning that each of a us have a few things in life that we view as scary but that we're willing to pursue anyways. 

My sweet little girl tried dance and feared the crowd. It wasn't worth the fear to her. She tried piano, and once again, feared the crowd when it came to be recital time. It just wasn't worth the fear. 

But riding is different. She loves riding. I mean, really, really loves riding. It's all she talks about. It's all she wants to do. 

And it's scary, and really scary when she falls, but there are some great things in life that are worth being scared over. 

I was thinking tonight about how courageous she is and about what it means to be courageous. 

Do you have that something in your life? Something that is more important than fear? 

My kids are that to me. They make me be courageous. They scare the crap out of me, but they are worth the fear. When you love someone that much, fear becomes a part of that love. But my babies....they are far more important than the fear. They make me be courageous. 

My business is the same way. I was thinking about how scared I was when I started.

What would people think? 

What if I failed? 

What if no one wanted to buy anything from me? 

What if......

But I had that 20 seconds of insane courage, and I did it, and I never looked back. It seemed worth the fear to me. 

Marriage is the same. What if he leaves? What if he stops loving me? What if it doesn't work out? What if? 

Worth it. Worth every second of the fear. 

Starting a bible study? Same story. What if no one shows up? What if they think I'm crazy? I don't know enough about the Bible....What will I say? Still....worth it. 

Everything that I have ever done that was actually worth doing was surround by a dark cloud of fear. And very slowly, day by day, that fear fades. I don't know that it ever really goes away. I think we just become braver. 

But there are things in my life that I stray away from because I'm afraid. Big things. Real things. 

Like writing a book. Or speaking about something other than Scentsy. I've gotten to a pretty comfortable place where things generally tend to work. I see other things, but I don't go there, because what if I were to fail? 

Today I watched my daughter fall off a horse, be visibly afraid, and then choose to get back up and ride again. And today I decided that I want to be more like her. I want to be brave like she has chosen to be brave. 

And I wonder if there is something in your life that is scary that you stray away from because of the "what ifs." I think we all have something in our lives that would be worth the fear if we would only step out and take a chance. 

My daughter reminded me today that it's worth it to fall sometimes. It's a reminder that great things aren't easy and sometimes we fail while pursuing them. But there are great things that each of us are called to that require us to step outside our fear and be brave. 

Maybe Brene Brown says it best when she says, "The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time." 

Here's to all of us showing up and becoming a little braver.