I recently set a goal.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
It’s an exciting goal, but it scares me a little bit, too. I bought airplane tickets to go see one of my best friends, and my goal is to actually go and do it.
Obviously, I’m pumped about seeing my buddy. I can’t wait to hang out and catch up after several months apart. Just like when I went to Colorado to see some friends last year, I absolutely cannot wait to spend time in a new place with an old friend who I love.
However.
As I also discovered during my Colorado trip, flying scares me. I enjoy the vibe of an airport, but actually getting through security, finding my gate, and then flying on the plane? That leaves me shaky and nauseous with nerves.
I am an adventurous person. I like trying new things. I tend to put on a confident front most of the time; it’s a “fake it ‘til you make it” kind of attitude. I was truly humbled the last time I flew. My friends gave me pitying looks as I trembled my way through takeoff.
It turns out I am not a jetsetter. But I already bought the plane tickets, so there’s no turning back now.
Even if I wasn’t afraid of flying, I think this situation would still make me a little nervous. Traveling is scary. At least, it’s a lot less safe than just sitting on your couch at home. I’m anxious about the logistics of traveling — getting to the airport, making the connecting flight, navigating my way through a new city.
But beyond that, it’s also a little scary because there’s no reset button. By that, I mean, once I go on this trip and see my friend and visit a new place, there’s no returning to the person I was before that experience. I’m forever going to be changed by doing this.
Likely, it’ll be a good change. I’ll prove to myself that I can handle the airport and the flying and the new city, and it probably won’t even be as daunting as I’m building it up to be in my head. I’ll come back home with more confidence, true confidence that I earned by doing something new and surviving.
Risk builds character. I’m a big proponent of doing things scared. So while this trip scares me a little, I know I’ll walk away as a stronger, more independent person.
But there are days when I would rather just stay on my couch, in my safe corner of the world. I know how to navigate that. Sometimes it feels more inviting to stick with what I know and stay where I’m most comfortable. I might not grow, but I also won’t hurt.
Is this relatable to anyone? I think this fear is a part of being an adult. Eventually, you have to push yourself to do the scary things, to take the risk, to advocate for yourself. You have to flex your independence, and the only way to build that muscle is by doing things that test it.
This trip will be a test for me, but I’m looking forward to the trip itself and, most importantly, the chance to grow as a person because of it.
I’m lucky that I have the means to fly, and I’m lucky that I have a friend who wants to see me. To be able to visit new parts of the world is a huge gift that I don’t take for granted. I hope my fears don’t make me sound ungrateful. I think it’s possible to be thankful and terrified at the same time, but it’s good to remember that these moments of fear are actually opportunities.
Maybe for you, it’s not traveling, but something else. Anxiety is at an all-time high in our society. It’s easier to play it safe, to choose the path of least resistance. God knows I’ve done that a time or two.
But there’s joy in doing something new. There’s a peace that comes with self-assuredness, and you only build that by proving to yourself that you can rely on yourself. Whatever this looks like for you, I hope you’re able to find and sustain it. I hope this for myself, too.
More like this:
