“Welcome to the other side of fear” 

That was the first thing I thought to myself as I curiously walked off the plane and into the airport in Brisbane, Australia in November 2013. Surprised at how easy flying solo to another country around the world was, I decided to celebrate by grabbing breakfast at the only place that was open at 4am in the airport:

Subway

“How was your flight?” asked a tall, brunette woman as she carefully made my order. (Some Subway employees refer to themselves as Sandwich Artists)

“Good!” I replied.

And to be fair, that was more so a lie. The flight wasn’t good, it was great. After 17.5 hours flying across the south Pacific, I was tired, hungry, aching, and in need of a good night’s sleep. But there was one other feeling I had that trumped those previous ones:

I was empowered. Fulfilled might be a better word for it.

To devote the past 6 months of my time, energy, and money to following a dream and seeing it become fulfilled was incredible! It was one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences of my entire life. And guess what? I hadn’t even left the airport yet. 

“Welcome to the other side of fear” was more so a revelation than anything. It was proof that, if you push yourself to follow your dreams and step outside your comfort zone when needed, amazing things can happen. And that’s what I’d like to talk to you guys about today: getting over that initial fear that something might happen, for better or for worse.

Over the past year, a lot of you have shown a tremendous amount of interest in following your own dreams, whether it be to travel, buy a home, start a family, or anything else you can think of. It’s very humbling to see so many people share their special dreams and goals with a skinny, fashionably challenged Hoosier like myself. Although many people will say the biggest reason they haven’t followed their dreams yet is because of a lack of money, I actually beg to differ. I know better, and I believe that it’s actually something else holding them back.
(Disclaimer: Some of you may disagree with me on this next statement, and that’s fine. Remember, all of the opinions and theories posted here on my website are just that: mine)

I believe that a lot of people, honestly…. just lack willpower. Money and time are HUGE obstacles to overcome when trying to make dreams happen. But you know what? Willpower and passion can overcome anything. I truly believe it. When you have a proper passion for something that you really want to do, you’ll find ways to work harder to achieve your goals. It’s all part of the Human element. When you’re in the zone, time and money are just small obstacles to the bigger plan. People keep putting off saving up for their dream vacation, or (insert dream here) but what most people don’t realize is that
A: Putting it off means you will NEVER do it.
B: You have the power to change everything about your life.

Once you realize that YOU are in control of YOUR life (and not your job or your mortgage) then that’s when you become dangerous.

And free.

But then what? Let’s say you’re in a financially strapped situation. You need money to start up your own business, or to pay for that round-the-world plane ticket you’ve always dreamed of. Most people will look at their odds, realize that they may not be in their favor, and give up.

THEY. GIVE. UP.

Dafuq?! Really? You’re gonna come all this way, work your ass off to do what you need to do to follow your dreams, then give up?  This is where the gloves come off, folks. This is what separates the people who do what they want/how they want, from the people who sit idly by on the sidelines. This is where the FEAR sets in. People then start using money/time/obligations as an excuse for FEAR.
As the great modern philosopher Jim Carrey once said:
“So many of us choose our path out of FEAR disguised as practicality.”

Is it not practical for you to follow your dreams? What’s holding you back? What’s really holding you back? I’m willing to bet 99% of the time, it’s YOU. People let fear get to them. Fear makes people use all kinds of excuses to NOT do something. He’s right! Saying you can’t do something because of blank is just you trying to make your decision NOT to do something, seem practical.

Think about it.

Fear is the last thing that holds anyone back. I unfortunately have met too many people who wish they could’ve done something better with their lives…..something more, and are now living with regret. Who wants to live with regret? I’m not going to be the guy, that, 25 years from now, says “Aww, man, I wish I should’ve went to (insert awesome country) back then.”

Screw that.

My life started over 2 decades ago. I’m not waiting until I’m of retirement age to do what I want with my life. And neither should you! Neither should anyone. Got rent to pay each month, but really wanna travel the world for a year? Sell all your stuff, move out, and go. It’s as easy as that.

Hold up….Did you just think of a few excuses as to why selling all your stuff and moving out was a stupid idea? Well guess what? It’s not a stupid idea. That’s your FEAR talking on behalf of you. Fear is taking up residence inside your mind. Kick that bitch to the curb.

And that’s the revelation I had when I was walking thru the airport in Australia.
“Wow….that was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.”
But I would’ve never known that following your dreams can be easy once you get past that initial fear. And believe me….once you do get past it, your life changes, and nothing seems impossible for you anymore. You’ll now have the courage and passion to do something you want to do, no matter how big or small it may be. Instead of letting fear own you, it’s time you turn the tide, and start owning fear.

No matter how dire your situation may be, remember, nothing is impossible if you set yourself up for success by providing yourself the passion and energy needed to get things done. How bad do you want it?

Where will your sails take you?

Welp, that’s all I’ve got for this one. Just remember, fear is something that is going to keep you in check until you overcome it. Find your passion, work hard for it, and see the fruits of your labor. Savor every personal victory, and learn from every defeat. You’ve only got one chance to live. Is fear worth the gamble?

And as always, stay frosty.
– Phantom out.