We often struggle to share a story and, frankly, if that fear isn’t in place, we may well be in the minority.

Let’s face it, as hard as we try, we just cannot be anyone else, doing so defeats the purpose of us being who we are and of sharing all that makes us unique. Being someone else in order to fit into any accepted norm in the eyes and minds of others impacts our ability to walk our own path and stand out from the crowd. The underlying goal is always focused on avoiding rejection and surviving.

To achieve a fulfilling life, we all damn well need to walk our own path, stand out, often keeping a good distance from the crowd, while allowing our unique strengths to shine. At times, we all need to step back and realize that many people do want to connect with you, hear your opinions or consider your ideas even if there is some underlying disagreement and that, in itself, can be healthy as we set any fear aside and move forward. It helps to create a common ground of understanding, especially in present times when this can be considered a gift given the constant political diatribes being hurled at everyone, in every direction.

Then again, that damn fear can turn around and we feel that it will never leave, in itself, not the problem but how we relate to that fear definitely is. We can either give into our fears and doubts and end up living with walls which continue to close in on us or we realize that we gave too much importance to these feelings.

Take steps to move beyond the habit of taking things so seriously and push aside that “what if” mindset. Look through the illusion that you have created for yourself, get inspired, and ignore any fearful thoughts about what people will think. Thoughts do not hold power and can’t command our attention; if you watch and let them pass, they float away.

Tell that story.

From the Writer’s Workshop: Write a post in exactly 13 sentences.