Scary Hard Things

Scary Hard Things 

by Holly Cooley

I won a trip recently and got to go on an amazing trip to Mexico thanks to Thrive Life and a whole lot of hard work.  My husband and I had such a great time and got to participate in some really great activities.  One of them was a zip-line tour of the canopy in the mountains of Mexico.  Little did I know what I would face.

I’m not really afraid of heights, so I was looking forward to trying this for the first time and seeing some amazing views.  What I didn’t realize was that there would be rapelling (read “sitting off the edge of the platform you’re standing on and relying on a rope in your hands to keep you from plummeting to your death”).  I may not be afraid of heights, but I am very afraid of falling to my death!!

And there would be something called “Superman” (read ‘ be horizontally propelled forward like a bullet at 80 mph for almost a mile with a go-pro camera in your face”).

I mentally overcame my fears of the rapelling portion of the trip and was very proud of myself.  I even have the smiling photo to prove it!

I kept telling myself that I was going to make myself do the superman portion.  How hard could that be, right?  I mean, this company would not be in business if people expired on their tours.  The logical part of my brain was still audible until we finished our upward hike and reached the cliff side and the platform.  When I saw the drop and the zipline trailing off into thin air I was so scared that I could hardly breathe (no exaggeration)!  That Fight or Flight instinct immediately kicked in and my mind kept telling me that I had already done enough brave things on this trip.  I could feel very proud of myself for already conquering quite a few fears.  I contemplated hiking down and being very okay with that.

But a tiny voice in my mind kept wondering if I would miss something amazing if I gave up here.

It’s the same tiny voice that wondered if I might actually be able to win the contest for this trip in the first place.  It’s the voice that made me dig deep, set some goals and then work my butt off.  And I DID IT!

I decided in that moment to trust the guides, trust the lines, and defy gravity.  I decided that I would force myself to keep my eyes open.  And I would have missed a fantastic view, as well as an amazing sense of accomplishment if I hadn’t!  Yes, I may have had tears streaming out of my eyes and I definitely screamed like a girl, but--I DID IT!!!  I DID IT!!!

I need to remember that it is always worth the hard work to get to somewhere amazing.

So, this is my new saying, and it’s on a sticky note so I don’t forget it:

"The SATISFACTION of a difficult goal accomplished,

FAR outlasts the relief of quitting."—ME

Where could I go?

What could I do?

What is possible if I can just get out of my own way and DO the scary, hard things that are in front of me TODAY?

What about YOU?  What’s holding you back?

Kick it to the curb and FLY!