How To Master The Art Of Being Unafraid
I like the idea of mastering the art of being unafraid, of facing things head on, of looking at things in a broad perspective, of seeing things with an outlook of positivity. To see the silver lining, in Catriona Gray’s words, in every situation we are in. It’s something that we should really think about.
Watching Ted Lasso over the weekend encouraged me to say a word or two on how it is important to always try. Because you never know unless you take a chance on it. You’ll never find out unless you’ll take courage on what you’ve always wanted to do.
Ted Lasso is proof of what we lack in this society—someone who believes in people if no one else does. Someone who believes in you even if you don’t believe in yourself. Ted Lasso is the attestation of the kind of person we should be, to ourselves first and to other people. The kind of person who pushes others to dream and pursue it, the kind of person who will always cheer for you in every accomplishment, the kind of person who will celebrate your success, may it be big or small.
That is why we have to be our own Ted Lasso. We should not wedge ourselves on what if’s and if only’s. You’ll always carry with you the burden of regret. We can never turn back time nor change things in the past. But we can always do something for the things ahead. We can always plan and anticipate things in the future.
Mastering the art of being unafraid starts with curiosity. You should have that desire to know what it could become. One should think about possibilities of eventualities. One should think of things that we can hope for, things that are not yet seen with our eyes but have been perceived with our hearts.
It’s the curious mind that pushes you to get up and explore. It’s the heart that sees possibilities that encourages you to start something or anything. And it’s the will to hope, even if others say that it’s the hope that kills you (Ted Lasso reference), that stirs the passing desire to still try even if the outlook seems bleak, even if it seems like we’re traversing through a dark tunnel, uncertain of the light at the end of it.
To be unafraid doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be bold and strong. To be unafraid means to be heartened and reassured. It means you are ready to face whatever is in store of you outside of your comfort zone. And this is what we need to remember: that being unafraid is not just mindlessly skimming through the difficulties in life. Being unafraid means having the confidence of seeking out what you truly desire.
We always equate being someone who is not frightened or fearful to physical strength and capability. But why don’t we see being unafraid in a different light? Why don’t we look at being unafraid as the state of exploring things we never thought of even just taking a glance. Why don’t we probe and not just peek through it. Because the potential is endless. And we owe it to ourselves to know what it is.
Lastly, being unafraid doesn’t mean recklessly doing things just because you’re fearless. Being unafraid should mean having the confidence that God will always be on our side. That to be unafraid means that we have Someone who knows what we are going through and what we need to go through it. That despite the challenges and difficulties we are facing, God sees us and never fails to be there for us, even if we think He’s not, even if we think that He has abandoned us.
Being unafraid now should mean trusting God completely, knowing that whatever happens, He knows everything and He has plans for us. Yes, I know. It’s challenging as it is to go through life. It’s even more exacting to understand that He has plans for us even after all that has happened. But what I learned in life is that nothing goes out of His plan. Each single moment of your life, every person you meet, every tear that falls down your face, all of it, He has a reason for all of them. And it takes a heart of complete trust to accept it and face it as it is.
You might not see its significance now. You might even say how burdensome it is today. But when the time comes that He lets you see the light of it, you’ll fall down on your knees and acknowledge that He is the only one who truly knows our needs and what’s best for us. You’ll start to put everything into pieces, to see the bigger picture of what He wants you to learn, to appreciate, to value, and it’ll be like an overflowing joy that you can never contain. Because He has to do it for you. Because you can never do it yourself. And that you are the best version of yourself now because His way should and will always be the only way in our life.
Frustrations, stresses, and anxieties (in the right dosage) are things we need. These are things we have to have to push us to do things we never imagined we should do. Because these are the very emotions that will stir not only our hearts, our minds, but also our souls to do things we ought to do, and not just things we wanted to.
Failures will always be part of us, of our lives. Because it’s these things that bring out meaningful stories and fulfillment. It’s those things that we weren’t able to successfully accomplish the first time that allowed us to see realities we have to open our eyes to. That failures are not just failures but they’re also testaments of our hard work, of our determination, of our persistence, and of how we persevere.