15th Day

 Fawn Sketch  (See the original graphite drawing.)

Day 15  
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." ~ Anais Nin

Finding or identifying with your courageous self. ... without stifling the fearful self... it is a very necessary though delicate balance.

She is a very real entity whose very existence defines the merits of the courageous self.

If I didn't know the retreating figure above, I would have never met the powerful one below. 

Honesty & Hope (a.k.a. No Pain, No Gain)

It is no secret that fear is a force to be reckoned with...  Anyone who knows me is well aware that worry is my middle name.  In the course of living my life I have discovered that I can tolerate and withstand many things but the fear-voice that speaks the loudest is the one that asks, "How will it affect your children?"  ...if you don't take that job?

                 ...if you show this to the world?

                 ...if you take the time to make???
                 ...if you risk ______ for ____?

THIS voice has the power to paralyze even the most adventurous of souls. It can even become a cop-out mechanism that causes us to do nothing...for the safety and familiarity of the status quo.

The voice that conquered her was that one that asked,  "How will it affect them if you DON'T:  
             ...speak out about what matters?
             ...believe in your own work?
             ...share your vision?
             ...stand up when The-Powers-That-Be knock you down?" 

For better or worse, this is who I am. To live truthfully I MUST do these things and hope that in the end it will be of positive benefit to them that I chose to do so. 

P.S. I just received this timely link from Spirituality & Health that talks about Going All In and "bravely showing up for what's next"...hope there is something in it that is useful to you.