Life Advice: The Other Side of Fear

"Life puts the best things on the other side of fear." - Will Smith

I know this might sound dumb but when I lost my job this past Spring, a YouTube video of Will Smith talking about going skydiving is what kept me going. I mean, technically it only lessened my spiral into depression but the lesson he talks about after the experience genuinely brought me to tears. I don't know why it popped up in my "suggested videos" but I heard what he said when I needed it most.

In the interview, Mr Smith explains his experience of going skydiving for the first time. He describes drunkenly agreeing to go with his friends the next morning, despite being deathly afraid of heights. He describes the anxiety of laying awake that night over the thought of jumping out of an airplane, hoping others from his group would chicken out too. He describes the fear he felt when getting in the van at the airport. He details the plane ride and standing at the doorway of the open plane 14,000ft above the ground. You know what? I really can't do it justice, so I've linked the video below. I highly recommending watching it.

Fear is the killer in your life. It doesn't kill you or your friends/family, but it kills your dreams. It paralyzes you to the point of inaction. It holds you back from being who you were meant to become. Sometimes, you have to go through some hard times to see the light on the other side. It gets dark and scary. Your mind will race with thoughts of negativity and doubt. It might not be tomorrow or next week or next month, but whatever hardship you're going through will pass. Whether you're mourning the loss of a loved one, going through a bad break-up, finding out you have a terminal illness, lost your job or your home, or you're going through some other traumatic experience, it's important to realize that the fear and anxiety you feel is not permanent. Just when a caterpillar thinks it's life is over, it becomes a butterfly.