"The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires – and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own." -James Allen
I started off today afraid to write this post. In fact, for the past three days I have been afraid to write anything at all. Ever since I started this journey to improve my Chinese, learn to write in Chinese professionally, and move to Taiwan, I have often been afraid to press forward and accomplish my goals.
I sometimes invest in these fears and find myself considering other people's ideals, dreams, or standards on the subject to be “reality,” and I temporarily forget what my ideals, dreams, or standards are. Everyone has done this at some point in his or her life, and ultimately this will lead to living someone else's life.
I recently read an essay by James Allen entitled "As a Man Thinketh" (ironically, this is where the opening quote originated from) that speaks of the ultimate creative power of a man's soul. Fear and doubt, if left untreated or buried, will ultimately surface in your "circumstance," which is merely the situation you have created for yourself through your conscious and subconscious actions.
I know that I tend to be afraid of not having enough money to support myself in the future because I "don't have a real job" and I "don't know what I'm doing." Many people have these fears, but choosing to be paralyzed by them will only serve to stop you from living the life you want to live and becoming the person you want to be.
If you are reading this you want to learn something, you want to better your life, or you want to realize the dream you have always had. Fear has the potential to paralyze you and stop you from progressing. The only way to push forward is to acknowledge the fear, cast off its fetters, and forge ahead on your own. If you feel like you are failing or "not being perfect,” good. You are at least taking action to realize your dreams.
