FEAR IS THE FORK

Fear is the fork in the road.  Fear leads to two things.  Yes or no.  Conquer or surrender.  Stay or go.

That's fear.

Fear stops us from doing things.  Whether we fear the consequences or fear we may fail, it's a roadblock.  It has been for many of us at one time or another in life.

I can think of five times when I was scared in my life:

• First time I cracked open a mic on the radio
• When I spoke to the Elgin Community College Board of Trustees
• When I went bungee jumping
• When I did my first interview on SRTV
• And the most important, when I made the decision to have children

The first thing that entered my mind was doubt.  Can I make a show that people will like and enjoy?  Will I get thrown out of the building?  Is this band going to rip my ass and throw me out of the dressing room?  Will I be able to be a good provider and more importantly, be a positive influence in molding my child's life?

Doubt is a product of fear.  The more you fear, the anxiety comes crashing.  Then it's go time.

On all five of these instances, I went forward and did it.  I will tell you this my friends, there is nothing like the feeling of conquering fear.  Being afraid is normal.  Being afraid is good.  Being afraid reminds you that you're human.  Being afraid makes you alive.

In order for one to truly be alive, one must be able to go for it.  No matter how big or how small.  There is that something inside of you that pushes you to do something crazy.  It may not be crazy to anyone except you why?  You have left your comfort zone.  You have made a decision to embrace a change.  You have taken a huge gamble in your life.  Did it payoff?

Always better to ask yourself how it felt rather than what would it have felt like?

Ever since the dawn of the new millennium, I have taken chances.  When I started college, it was time to not be afraid anymore.  I stopped hiding behind people and started making better decisions.  The loss of my mother devastated me and I fell hard for months.  However I started doing TV and radio.  I started writing like crazy.  I learned how to love again.  I learned to use fear as a tool, rather than an obstacle.

When it comes to challenges, I don't back down anymore.  I want to kick ass.

Fear is the fork in the road.  When I come to a fork, I don't think about the end.  I do what it going to bring electricity into my life.

Mike C