Bravery isn’t the absence of fear but the action in the face of fear...

As a kid, I wasn’t really afraid of anything. My mother did a really great job exposing me to a lot of things and making me feel really secure. I grew up skiing in Rangeley, Maine. When there is an icy pitch that most skiers would cautiously ski the edges or shimmy down - I would just go for it - straight down. I thought - the less turns I make - the less chances to crash and burn. By-the-way, I am confident that my Mother did not enjoy watching me careen down a double black diamond at age 6 while my friend Martha, carefully and gracefully picked her way down, finding the powdery spots to make her ski-school perfect turns.

As I have gotten older, I have started to get afraid of things. Like heights… I was never afraid of heights as a kid and now I am so scared of heights. Just being a the top of a tall building causes me to take a focused deep breath. I don’t know if it is that I have left the security being a kid and now that I am a mother myself - I have so much responsibility.#somuchtolivefor <- kidding - that is dramatic, I know!

But - I remember being a kid - and just going for it. I still go ziplining when the opportunity presents itself. I just do it. I still take my family on trips high in the jungle on canopy tours. My 5 year old even reassured me on a recent trip when it got windy and I got squirrely ‘its ok mommy - just a few more steps.’

I think overcoming physical fear (ex: fear of heights) is important because feeling the fear and going for it anyway makes you feel unstoppable. They say bravery isn’t the absence of fear but action in the face of fear. The more you face your fears the less they can control you. What do you do to crush your fears?  Let me know - I want to know!

Lots of love,

​Paige Wilcox