What People Think

Who knew things left unsaid could cause so much trouble? 

After all, isn't that what so much of our current society bets on? What people think. What people THINK- not necessarily what they say out loud but the random thoughts which may or may not appear in their heads. What people think matters to us more than we care to admit- what they think about our clothes, our bodies, our homes, our accomplishments.

I have to admit, I have made a lot of decisions out of fear. Out of fear of failure, of rejection, of happenstance, and out of fear of what people would think. Here's the funny thing about fear... your fears are just like your dreams:  they may never happen. Yet, we think they are more likely to happen than our dreams.

Here's the funny thing about fear... your fears are just like your dreams:  they may never happen. So, why do we think they are more likely to happen than our dreams?


I realized some time last year that not only have many of my most important life's decisions been made out of fear but specifically out of irrational fears which hold me back from my biggest dreams.

Sure, no one goes into sales or customer service thinking it will be easy. Most people realize that working for yourself requires a ton of sacrifice and dedication.

 But which is more realistic- avoiding a profession you love because you aren't SURE if you can support yourself...or remaining in a job where you come home every day wondering if you can make it through another?

In the last few months, I have wondered more times than not what people think about my decision to leave teaching, my decision to go into real estate, admitting I want to be a writer (that, most of all, sounds cheesy). But when I walked away from my career to start a new one, I knew that I couldn't bank on fear any longer. And THAT realization has been life changing.

I've applied it to every aspect of my life- what a radical change! In four months, I've de-cluttered my home and worked my way toward practicing minimalism. I've progressed in real estate and delved into social media management.  I've launched my own blogs and applied for writing positions I never thought I could have (but why not?). I've even changed some ways I parent my children.

Because you can't live your life based on fear of the unknown. Of what might- or might have- been. Just like you can't live in the past, you can't live in the future.

Just like you can't live in the past, you can't live in the future.

This isn't a matter of wearing seatbelts or making sure you wash your hands when you go to the loo. In some ways, this is much bigger than that- this is your life. This is your career. This is your passion and your livelihood. And that is always worth the risk.