Get Up, Get Out, Go, Do Something...Today!

I am a small town girl that grew up afraid of many things, including the fear of flying. Yes, the fear of flying was instilled in me at a very young age. Many of the older people in my life would say things like, "if the Lord wanted us to fly he would have given us wings" and "birds are the only animals that should fly." As I have grown up, I have realized that many of the things that I was afraid of as a child were because they were unknown. The people that were saying not to fly had not ever experienced flying first hand, but quickly would say not to do it. In my opinion, this is one thing that parents need to correct because fear is paralyzing.

Think about it for one moment. A majority of the prejudice that people have do not have anything to do with first hand experience. I will use myself and my fear of flying as an example. My fear of flying caused me to miss countless opportunities to travel for free when I was younger. It was not until I was in my late twenties when my job needed me to travel for business, that I boarded my first flight. No one on this earth could have told me that I was not going to die that day. I was certain that the plane would crash. Of course it didn't and neither have the many flights I have taken since then. We need to begin challenging ourselves to broaden our horizons. Opening our minds up to new people, places and things in order to break down the walls of prejudice is key to have peace in this world.

Overcoming my fear of flying began my love affair with traveling. My personal goal is to visit all 50 states and all of the Wonders of the World! To think that if I did not overcome that one fear, I would not have enjoyed spending time jet skiing in the Gulf of Mexico, walking on the beach and playing in the Atlantic Ocean. I have enjoyed some of the best fresh seafood in the world and know the best is yet to come. All of this because I overcame just one fear and opened my mind to new experiences. Just think what you could do by overcoming just one fear.  Get Up, Get Out, Go, Do Something...Today! (You can thank me later)