Let’s start with Bill.

First, take 10 minutes and give yourself a laugh. Just be careful. He’s addicting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRmN4KnfPxQ

Haha I love it. Now this is how I wound up watching half an hour of Bill Cosby videos last night…

I think success is inversely proportional to the amount of fear you hold in your heart…whether it’s fear of your opponent, or fear of your own incapability.

Whether it’s an exam, a project at work, parenting, or anything else that you have undertaken (or avoided undertaking), you can be directly hindered by your fear.

I’m not really a fearful person. I’ll try anything once. Even if I am shaking in my boots, I won’t let you know.

Growing up, my parents treated “can’t” like any four-lettered sailor word. We would get our butts busted in a heartbeat for saying that we couldn’t do something.

“It’s not that you can’t do it, you just don’t know how yet.”
Pretty profound words…

I can say that through my first semester of medical school, I was petrified. There was so much information, and all so fast. The best parallel that I’ve heard is that it’s like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. That’s pretty accurate. All of that while being a new mother…was pretty overwhelming. 

And there were times that I was so scared, studying didn’t really do me any good…because I was already defeated in my own mind. To top it off, I wasn’t sure that I could be a good, loving, caring mother when I felt like I was failing at everything else I was doing.

For probably one of the first times in my life, I wasn’t sure if I could do it.

There were many tears. And sacrifices. And late nights. And more tears.

But I wasn’t giving up.

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” –Bill Cosby

(…who also gave his kids chocolate cake for breakfast, so who doesn’t love this man?)

I guess what it boils down to, is how badly do you want what you’re going after?
How badly do you want to have your cake and eat it, too?

I think what can help, is remembering where the fear comes from.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
(II Timothy 1:7)

Sometimes, you’re just going to be scared. And sometimes, you’re just going to have to perform in spite of it. You just have to jump—and trust.

Trust that God will catch you. Trust that he has given you the power…the love…even the self-discipline to make it through, successfully.

Every time that I have persevered, it has always been worth it.

No one faults you for facing your fears…even when you fail.
But no good can come of cowardice.

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really
stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

So, go and do that thing you think you cannot. God’s got your back.

It’ll be worth it.