here comes fear again ---

i've been noticing a common thread running through the fabric of my life --- fear.  i've worked through lots of it -- but there is still some sticking around.

my newest -- well, it's hard to put a handle on it -- or a name.  is it the fear of failure, or fear of success?  i ran across this qute the other day -- it hs stuck with me, it rings true for me today:

We walk away from our dreams afraid we may fail, or worse yet, afraid we may succeed.

well -- once again, i've faced it head on.  for months i've talked about opening an etsy shop - for months i've put it off.  i've done the research, made phone calls, got a mentor, and thought it all out -- but, i haven't put the plans in motion --- that is until recently.

last week i went to see a CPA, and figured out exactly what it is i need to do.  today, i filed a form to collect sales tax , and tomorrow i head to the county clerk's office to file a "doing business as" certificate.  then -- it's set up a bank account, a pay pal account, set up a store front, build some inventory and hit the ground running.

will i get everything right, well i hope so, but probably not.  but, i'm so excited.  it's time to get this ball rolling -- i won't know if i can do it  until i try it -- another quote i found today:

fears are temporary - regrets are forever.

so -- here is to living with no regrets!  i'll keep you posted as to when the shop is up and running.  i'm shooting for July 1st. 

with God's help things will turn out just the way they should!

facing fear - - head on

Fear.  we all have something that scares us.  i have 3 big ones.

tomorrow, i'm going to face one of them head on.  i've been "psyching" myself up for it all day.

but, what i've learned is -- it's time.  time to leave the history in the past and dig myself out of the fear and get ready to live again.

this particular fear has been haunting me for years, maybe even decades.  as time goes on the problems it creates has gotten to be extensive - and i now realize that the fear has been paralyzing.  as much as i don't want to go tomorrow and face it head on, i know it's what needs to be done.  tomorrow will be just the tip of the iceberg, i realize that, but i also know that getting it all taken care of will be a tremendous weight lifted from me. 

i'll be able to live again - this has affected me mind, body, and spirit - physically, mentally and emotionally.  as fearful as i am about facing it tomorrow, i'm excited for the end result - in whatever shape, form, or time period it takes.

proverbs 3:5 sticks in my head - alot.  "trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding"  that will get me through tomorrow, and in the days ahead.  it will get me through the new life waiting for me - with only 2 big fears instead of 3.  :)

have a little faith . . .

A life lived in fear is half lived.

   - Anonymous


Put off for one day and ten days will pass by.

    - Korean Proverb


You may be on the right track, but if you just sit there you'll get run over.

    - Paul H. Dunn

 
Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.

    -George S. Patton



for some time now i've "had a dream", and that is about all that it has been.  it sits on a shelf, i pick it up and dust it off and set it back down.  what holds me back?  fear.  plain and simple.  no other excuses.
 
i let "others" who i don't even know freak me out and scare me off of it.  the things i tell myself --wow, if you could be in my head.
 
the opposite of fear is faith.  it's time to put that into action, quit making excuses and just do it.  one of my favorite books of the Bible is james.  and i'm reminded of james 2:14-26 --
 

Faith and Deeds



14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.


18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

so - there's my answer, there is my nudge.  time to take it off the shelf and pay attention to the road signs.
 
stay tuned . . .