Spring (v.) \ ˈspriŋ :  to release or cause to be released from confinement or custody

Sometimes confinement is indisputable. Jail. Handcuffs. Barbed wire fence. Those are pretty clear indicators that someone is being detained. However, confinement is not always empirical.

What if there are shackles weighing down your every step that no one else can see?

What if your hands are bound tightly by the links of a million “what ifs”?

What if the bars are on the windows of your soul?

To me, fear is one of the most incarcerating circumstances in which we can find ourselves. I think we all live in a constant state of some type of fear. Some of us are afraid of what will happen if we don’t do something. Others are afraid of what will happen if we do. We fear the unknown– the dark, a stranger, a noise, new places.

Most of all, I think we fear inadequacy. We fear not being “enough.” Pretty enough. Rich enough. Smart enough. Successful enough. Skinny Enough. Did I do enough? Have I cleaned enough?

But who has the right to measure or judge our level of adequacy? Who sets this sort of criteria? Is there some sort of rating scale or norm-referenced testing that we haven’t been informed of? In short, the answer is no. There is, however, a fictitious standard set by society in which we rely upon to judge and be judged by, based on how well we live up to it. Society has locked us up and thrown away the key for centuries, telling us how to live our lives. The saddest part is that most of the time, we let them. It’s like we have Stockholm Syndrome, falling in love with being told exactly what to do and who to be. I guess sometimes we allow the world to guide our decisions because we don’t trust ourselves to make the right one. Many of us sit idly at a crossroads for someone else to tell us which way to turn.

I don’t know about you, but I am DONE being held hostage. I am done being told what to wear, how to wear it, what to weigh, where to work, when to marry, who to marry, what color we should be, what height we should be, what body type we should have… like, here, let me just take my body apart and reattach my bones so that I’ll be taller and thinner. We been completely brainwashed by the ideas and expectations placed onto us by the world and it causes stress, resentment, and dangerous levels of insecurity.

The first time I remember feeling freedom, don’t laugh.. was a night in college when I wore a dress over a T-shirt, sweatpants, rainboots, and pigtails to Walmart. I was honestly doing it to embarrass a friend, but, as we strolled through the aisles, I felt so empowered because I was not even halfway worried about impressing anyone for the first time since I could remember. I didn’t care who saw me or what they thought. It wasn’t until years later that I remember having that same freeing feeling. Three years ago, I took a trip to Florida with some girlfriends. Walking around and not knowing anyone made me feel completely liberated– like I could do anything in the world or be anyone I wanted to be and no one would care because they didn’t know me. It made me wonder, though, why I couldn’t feel like this in my hometown. WHY did it matter that people “knew” me there? Why did it matter what anyone thought of me anyway?

One word resounded in my mind when I asked myself that question. Fear. I was afraid of criticism. I was afraid of not fitting in. Afraid of failure. Afraid of being hurt. Afraid of what others would say. Afraid of what they might think. I realized that I had lived my entire life believing that I needed to please others. This belief had imprisoned me and continuously stifled the limits of what I could do and who I could be. Or so I thought…

While reading “You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life,” the reality that IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK smashed through my chains and released me from myself. I am forever grateful for this book and no, this is not an advertisement. (Well, I mean, I guess I’m technically advertising but I’m not like an affiliate or promoter…)

Don’t get it twisted though, guys, I STILL struggle with this on the REGULAR. I constantly have to remind myself to step out of my comfort zone and push through the insecurity. It’s a DAILY battle, but it’s one I’m willing to continue fighting…. for myself and for the rest of the world who remain afraid of taking chances and shedding the weight of society’s burden.

Are you afraid? If so, GOOD. Fear is healthy. Fear is what prompts us to ACT in dangerous situations. To me, going through the motions set forth by others is scary. Living a life of mediocrity is dangerous. Use the fear of standing out or making mistakes to EMPOWER you. Let the fear of failure fuel you.

Set yourself free and start living your best life TODAY.

“The absence of fear is not courage, it is wisdom.”