Smashing Fear

Our imaginations can conjure up the greatest arguments against anything good, it seems, especially when we are challenged to step into the "unknown", even to what might be considered a simple thing, like becoming a lector.  "What if's" arise and paralyze.  Two little letters,  N O allow us to retreat to our safe zone: .  But three letters, Y E S, open doors to worlds we never imagined.  Most of the time, our hesitations or refusals are based on fear, fear of making a mistake or of failing completely; fear of what others will think, or fear of being launched into a territory or activity that will eat into "Our Time".  How do we smash those fears?  Seeking advice or help from a trusted friend or family member is one way to put ourselves as ease and convince us to take "that first step."  When we learned how to swim or dive, we went in stages, remember?  Someone was there to guide us, show us, and convince us that we could do it.  The first jump off the diving board let to the first dive.  Having done it once gave us power and confidence to do it over and over, to the point of "showing off."  We experienced a great feeling to have accomplished what we thought impossible, and to conquer the fear that was holding us back.   Life is full of diving boards challenging us to take the plunge.  When we do it, we smash another fear and move with confidence to the next one.
Bro. Rene