Love Drives Our Fear

Have you ever been so afraid of something that you don’t do it at all or you don’t do your best?

In a big game in the biggest tournament of the year, I was fouled with no time left, we were down by one point, and I had two free throws and the chance to win the game. It was my first time shooting free throws in a big moment like that, and I was very nervous. My heart was beating through my chest, and I could not stop my legs from shaking. I missed both shots, we lost, and I thought it was all my fault. I led my team in scoring, rebounding, and assists, but being in that moment was the scariest thing that I had been a part of, and I let that fear hold me back from being my best.

If I could do it all over again, I would not focus on the fear - I would focus on love. Writer and speaker Jon Gordon says fear can sabotage you and keep you from living the life you want, but love casts out fear. He says that if you love something, you won’t fear it. 

Athletes grow up dreaming about making game-winning shots, hitting game-winning home runs, and scoring game-winning touchdowns, but at that moment, I let my fear be greater than my love and I let the fear of failure weigh greater than the opportunity in front of me. If I could go back in that moment, I would tell myself to find the love, the joy, and the opportunity at that moment. We dream about making the game-winning shot and we have to fight the battle of the mind so that we see the opportunity of the moment and not fear.

Gordon said to be so devoted and in love with your craft that it drives you. Fear can be the number one thing that keeps you from your destiny, your goal, and what you want to create, but love is the most powerful force in the universe and it overrides fear. If you love something and if you love doing something, your love will drive away any fear you might feel.

One activity that you can do to overcome negative thoughts is to get a piece of paper and fold it in half. On one side of the paper, write down all of your negative thoughts. On the other side, write down a positive, encouraging thought that can help you overcome the negative thoughts.

Adversity and fear are a part of life, but remember that stars shine the brightest in the darkness, and positive people shine the most through adversity.

Being positive won’t guarantee that you will succeed, but being negative will almost guarantee that you won’t.

Pessimists don’t change the world - it’s the optimists that do, and we can’t change the world if we let fear rule our minds.