We moved exactly one month ago this weekend. March 7, to be exact. Although, it’s not very exact because we spent the entire week before hauling breakables in the van, and the entire week after schlepping the leftover crap that didn’t really fit into boxes (you know, the stuff in the garage and the embarrassing accumulation of junk in our much-too-large basement).
Over the past month I’ve been unpacking boxes, so that fact that I unpacked two more today, really isn’t that big of a deal, except I did re-learn something.
Fear is crippling.
What’s that have to do with boxes? Not a lot. But it is a valuable metaphor for life.
My current kitchen is about a third of the size of the former kitchen. So for the past month I’ve been walking around two large boxes stacked in the family room because I was afraid they weren’t going to fit in the one remaining cabinet above my fridge.
Guess what? I opened the cabinet, and it was much bigger than I had guessed it would be. And the two boxes, almost fit entirely in the space. I tucked a few things away in other spots, because it made sense, and the cabinet really wouldn’t hold everything. But it took all of about 15 minutes. And I found a solution for what was holding me back.
I wonder how much more I could accomplish in life if I mustered the courage to, excuse the cliché, just do it?
Maybe I would have started this blog sooner? Perhaps I’d have the hard conversations with the people I love, to clear the air. Then there are the new clients I could go after to build my consulting business, or the risks I could take with being open, really open, with those I love.
I haven’t done some of these things because of fear. But what’s really to be afraid of? I know I’m likely imagining the box to be more full and the cabinet to be smaller than it really is. I know facing most fear is not really as simple as unpacking boxes, but the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Isn’t that what they say?
What’s fear keeping you from doing? Unpack the metaphorical fear box and go for it.