I’m going to start by making an example out of myself. I’ll just drop this here:

“I created my site on WordPress in 2014! I created it with the intent to help, motivate, or inspire someone to do something, anything, that they feel passionate about. I want to reach anyone who needs the encouragement to continue. I’ve had my platform and name chosen for years yet I’ve been allowing self-doubt to hold me back. Fast forward and here we are at the end of 2017!”

That’s a small paragraph from a post I drafted last year. ONE. WHOLE. YEAR. AGO. I’ve been procrastinating for way too long and some how as each year goes by, I’m always in shock. Starting a blog has been something I’ve wanted to do since 2014. I really did start it then but I kept it on the low and I only wrote a few short posts that I eventually took down. Why? I took them down because I kept telling myself they weren’t good enough. I kept pushing off my “new start”, or hitting the publish button on my new first post, because I kept telling myself I needed to accomplish more in life otherwise my words wouldn’t be as credible or contain enough value.

In the past couple of years and especially in this last one, I’ve learned so much about taking risks and really going for it. Without taking a risk or trying, we won’t know what it actually takes, we won’t know our own limits, or how far our limits may reach (in other words, reaching our full potential). If we’re not risking, we’re not learning. I’m sure many people can relate to thinking; “What if I fail?” or “What will people think?”. We have to get rid of these types of thoughts. They are not just creating a mental block but they are developing real road blocks because we don’t get started on our new ideas, projects, hobbies, or dreams. We cannot let the opinion of others prevent us from doing anything or trying  something that would make us happy. Our lives are not meant to meet the approval of others. We are meant to live our lives learning what it is that make us individually and genuinely happy. I’ve learned that it’s OK to not have everything figured out, and not having it all figured out shouldn’t stop me from starting something I want to do or learn about. Even if I may not be where it is that I want to end up, my words are still valuable, I am valuable. I have a story and because of my unique story, my upbringing has instilled in me so much compassion, empathy, strength and desire. I always try to remain a shining light through the dark times. Key word there is “try”. It’s not always easy but it’s how I push forward. This way of thinking also helped me push myself to want to publish this new first post today. If I’m strong enough to push through rough life experiences, why should I listen to my self-doubt now?

This is what I wanted to do and I’m doing it because I said I would. I hope this inspires you to do the same. Now, it’s your turn to do something you want to do but haven’t yet.

– natalie