Do It Afraid

I have so many ideas constantly swirling around in my head,  ideas for businesses, crafting projects, travel, work. When I sat down to write the very first blog post for The Blossom Project, I started writing four different times. Then I gave up. Nothing felt right, and my drafts folder started to look like the aftermath of a confetti cannon.

One thing you'll learn about me is that I value authenticity, sometimes to a fault. If something doesn't ring true, if it feels a bit cattywampus (gosh, I love that word) I don't want to pursue it. The good news about ideas and writing is that sometimes you just need a break. Clean out the engine, so to speak. With too much swirling around, it's easy to get lost in your own snow globe.

So after distracting myself (very easily, if we're being honest), I was hit with a phrase I've heard many times before: "Do it afraid." That's exactly what I'm feeling as I officially launch The Blossom Project. I'm doing it afraid. I don't know what will come of it, whether it will succeed, or whether it will land the way I hope it will. But I have HOPE. And truthfully, sometimes that's all we need, hope that things work out, that we're making the right call, that our best effort will be enough.

Hope has a way of quieting the fear of inadequacy and the fear of the unknown. It convinces us that the biggest, brightest things are still possible.

In the middle of a major transition  or even a small upheaval  we need hope. We need something that lets us do it afraid anyway. Fear isn't meant to be a stopping force. It can be a useful, cautionary alert, a nudge to pause and think. But it cannot be allowed to keep us from pursuing the things that spark joy. We can't let fear become the monster in the closet that keeps us buried under the covers, negotiating with a nightlight.

Here's the thing about fear: it isn't something we're born with. It shows up sometime in childhood. Anyone with a child or a younger sibling knows this firsthand. A toddler will sprint full-speed into a busy street to chase a ball, blissfully unaware that cars are involved. Babies will put nearly anything in their mouths, with zero regard for what germs are or what they might do. But somewhere along the way, as we grow, fear starts to outmuscle curiosity. It gets louder than the excitement of trying something new. And honestly, that breaks my heart a little.

So yes, I'm afraid. I don't know exactly what to expect. But I know who I am, and I know what I hope for, and I think that's a pretty solid place to start. I'm so excited for you to join me on this adventure, and to dig into the many intricate, wonderful, occasionally cattywampus details of our stories together.

“Fear isn’t meant to be a stopping force, it’s meant to show you how brave you can be.”