Without Change There'd Be No Butterflies

The LUMIX FZ300 never lets me down. ISO 100 f/4 @ 1/640 shot in IA mode.

​It's one of those Sunday mornings when I'm having a hard time finding a topic to write about. Several times over the last few years, I've turned to Melody Beattie for a little inspiration for myself as well as to share. As always she came through!

I've only shared part of her reading for April 22 below. She's an amazing writer and if you need a little brain food, click on the cover of her book to the right. It's well worth having when you need inspiration to get through life's challenges.

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On the Other Side of Fear Is Joy

Climb over the wall of fear. Fear can be like a brick wall on our path. We may say we want to move forward - we want to feel better, do something new, live differently, go to the next place on our journey - but if we have unrecognized fears about that, we may feel like we've hit a wall. We don't know we're afraid; the fear is tucked and hidden away. All we can see is that, for some unknown reason, we can't seem to move forward in our life. We're in the dark.

Or we may be conscious of our fear, but be refusing to deal with it...There are time in life when real power comes from being vulnerable enough to say, Yes, I am afraid.

There's a magic I've learned over the years.
It happens when I feel my fear. My life changes.
I become empowered to move on.
Barricades I have not been able to penetrate crumble and disappear.
​And all I had to do was simply face and feel my fear.

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On April 1, 2009, I resigned as president of Rangefinder Publishing, which included AfterCapture magazine and WPPI. I remember a conversation I had with Sheila about going out on my own. We weren't married yet, but she knew me well, and we'd been dating for a year and a half. She asked me, "What are you afraid of?" With no hesitation, I answered, "Failure!"

Well, nine years ago tomorrow I arrived at Sheila's house in Ohio, and a new adventure in my life began. For years I had lived vicariously through all of you. I admired all of you as I watched your fight to succeed as entrepreneurs, but fear of change held me back. 

If you're being held captive by your fears, it's time to cut loose. Over the years I've learned there's no such thing as failure as long as we learn something from our mistakes. Mistakes are merely part of life and business. I've made plenty of mistakes over the last nine years, but each one has sent me down a new path of growth, experience, and even a few new friendships. 

It might seem easy for to say, but getting over fear is one of the greatest gifts you owe to yourself.  Don't let fear stand in the way of your dreams! Life is too short.

Wishing everybody a fearless weekend filled with peace, friends and family and plenty of love to help you chase your dreams. Never pass up an eleven-second hug with somebody special in your life and don't let anything get in the way of the life you want to have!

Happy Sunday!