Post 38: You are Allowed to be Afraid

You are allowed to be afraid. I have given several talks and presentations on the ideas I am writing about. One of the people who came to listen to me told me this was her a-ha from my talk. This continues to be the most interesting feedback I have received.

She had never been told it was ok to feel afraid. She had gone her whole life believing anytime she felt fear, she was failing. Imagine being afraid of something, and then instantly beating yourself up for having a normal human emotion.

My truth is, I have judged myself harshly for being afraid, ashamed, jealous, angry, and so many other emotions. Feelings like these and others have been a part of my life, and I have felt less-than for having them.

Think about how messed up we are as a society that the typical response to having human feelings is to feel like a bad human.

Even more confusingly, I don’t get upset at my daughters, my wife, my parents, my friends, or anyone else for having bad feelings. I comfort and love all them.

Why can I love everyone else for being human, yet for some reason, I need to hold myself to a superhuman standard?

~Ryan Lynch

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