I met Kelly at our What If workshop last October. Her smiling face and larger than life head nods were all the validation I needed that the thoughts and questions I was presenting were hitting a chord with her. At one point in the evening she asked a question that gave me a tiny glimpse into the wholehearted human being I had before me. She asked something along these lines, “How do you set boundaries when you enjoy making people happy as much as I do?” I mean, come on, how can you not love a person who actually loves to make people happy? She doesn’t do it because she feels like she should; she does it because she’s a giver through and through. Which is probably when I asked if she would share her story with all of you, she not only happily accepted the offer, but this Gamechanger had her story in my inbox within 24 hours. I’m happy to introduce all of you to Kelly Steffes Shea and her thoughts on courage. Sharing stories is the key to connection, and courage compounds when people bravely share and look for more of these stories.
Guest: Kelly Steffes Shea
Fear is constantly looking us in the face. It prevents us from reaching our goals, it stops us from following our dreams and prevents us from growing into the people we are destined to become. We aren’t afraid of heights, we are afraid of falling. We aren’t afraid of reaching our goals, we are afraid of “failing” at reaching them.
There have been many moments in my life where I have let fear win. I have let it prevent me from doing things I wanted to do, not because I didn’t think I could be successful, but because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t succeed. What I think we all forget is even though we might not get to the exact destination we are trying to reach, that doesn’t mean it’s not getting us where we were meant to be.
Less than a year ago I embarked on a journey to complete my CrossFit I Certification, I was scared out of my mind; I was thinking of all the reasons I shouldn’t do it, scared that I would fail the test, worried that I wasn’t going to be successful. I went that weekend and had an amazing time, learned a lot and did things I never thought I could. I took that test and gave it my best. A couple weeks later I got the results back that I didn’t pass. I was disappointed, bummed and upset. I could have taken that disappointment and let it be that, a disappointment; instead, I took that moment to appreciate the amazing time, friends and lessons I got to have that weekend I faced my fear. That test said I didn’t pass, but what it didn’t say was what I learned. I signed up to retake that test and who knows, I might fail it another time, but the only way I’m going to know is to try again.
Fears can be big or small. They can stop us in our tracks or make us run for the hillside. We never quite understand the power fear has on us until we have the courage to stare them in the face. Courage is that small tiny voice in you that tells you yes, while the fears are yelling at you no. Listen to that yes, it might not land you where you want to be, but it will put you closer to where you’re meant to go. There’s a whole new world waiting for you on the other side of those fears. Be strong, be brave, be courageous; it will lead you to be even more, you! Learn more about Kelly at her blog www.sheake5.wixsite.com or find her at The608 at https://www.thesixzeroeight.com/sheastyle
Beautifully penned down. Keep writing.