FACE IT!

Hey guys. It's great to have you here yet again. I trust you have been very well; and your February has been great. Mine has been very great. This post means a lot to me personally and has inspired me greatly. I thought to share; to stir up something in you. As always, relax enjoy, and of course do well to share😊😊 Happy reading!

I would not consider myself as one who loves to take risks and try out new things. I would rather stay in the lane I am most comfortable in. Little did I know, that a five-day trip would launch me into a new world of taking risks.

So whilst in graduate school there was a special leadership course which was optional for students. The modules looked very interesting; courses on global perspective, global awareness and even global enterprise. I had also heard great things about the leadership course and wanted to be a part of it; so I signed up irrespective of the very high demands of graduate school.  Part of the leadership course involved having a global experience and that meant you had the opportunity to visit a country that was of interest to you. 

As a child, my dad  told my siblings and I stories of when he was in Asia and how beautiful a continent it was. He also promised my siblings and I that he would take us to Asia. Well, we couldn't go to Asia as kids; he paid us back in other currencies though😊😊😊 So when I saw a country in Asia among the lists of the countries to choose from, I did not have to think twice before signing up.

We arrived Asia safely, after so much turbulence. Well, that is a story for another day. 

 The first three days involved a lot of workshops and tours. The last two days were majorly scheduled for team building activities. I mean, that was good for me, because I love to relate with people and team work has a special place in my heart; of course when all hands are on deck.😉😉😉

On the first day of the team building activities, the  coordinator gave the list of activities we were all going to be involved in. The initial activities were really tasking but I chose not to be dettered and decided that I was going to do it.

 As soon as the last activity was mentioned, I did not have to think about it twice, I was definitely going to back off. This activity involved a lot of risks; building a raft and sailing to the sea to get a treasure and sailing back to shore. Seriously, building a raft, and sailing? In something that seemed like a minute, a thousand thoughts ran through my mind. What if we did not build it well? What if we got drowned? What if the life guards could not come to our rescue in time. No kidding, the "what if's" kept flooding the timeline of my mind. Don't blame me for all those thoughts, I am an amateur swimmer. Well even if I was a professional, we are talking about the sea here.😄😄😄 

Almost immediately, I really do not know where that courage came from; I told myself, "D, you are going to do this". Before my mind began to tell me a thousand reasons why I should not engage in this exercise, I joined my team mates and began building the raft. Did I tell you it was a competition between two teams? Oh yes it was! As soon as we were done building the raft, we began paddling and sailing in order to get the treasure. My team tried her best to get to the treasure earlier, however, the other team got it faster than we did😢😢😢.

Well, it did not really matter to me that my team did not get the treasure; what mattered to me the most was that I was able to face that great fear and do what I had never done before. Till now, I look at the pictures, and I am shocked that I faced the fear and conquered it by rising to the challenge.

 This experience also gave me the faith that I can do what I think I cannot do. This is my word for you today, whatever it is you are afraid of doing, just do it. One phrase from God's word that gives me strength is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". So, yes, sometimes, I get scared to do some things, but when I remember this verse and my experience on the raft I get encouraged again, and say to myself, D, you can do it, with God by your side you sure can do it.

You know what touched me the most in this experience, a lady came to me, and said, when she saw me engage in those tasking activities, she was motivated and said to herself, "If a lady like this can do it, I sure can". Guess what guys? She did all the activities I did as well; conquering her fears.

 I read something some years ago which said, "Do it afraid". So whatever it is, just face it, and do it. As I end this post, I am saying to myself and to you as well,  start doing all the things you have been afraid of doing, face it, and conquer it, and always remember that with God on your side, nothing is impossible.

I look forward to hearing your amazing story of conquest over that issue of dread.

Till my next piece, have an awesome time.

Loads of Love,

Smiling D.