Cherishing the Moment

I was talking to a friend when she suddenly looked me straight in the eye and said, “Rachel, you always talk about being challenged as a good thing, and I’ve never seen it that way before.”

Her words made me realize that I had changed; I’ve learned to embrace challenges.

I’ve always had a need for approval from others. I feared taking chances and making mistakes. But looking back, I can see that the desire for perfection and the fear of rejection suffocated my growth.

When I first started my blog, I was just writing to family and friends, and it scared me when people I’d never met started following my rambles. I was afraid to let people down, and I was afraid to be open, honest, and real in such a public way, but I felt God pushing me forward and helping me to face my fears.

Now, as I send out articles to magazines in the hopes they will be published, I am facing those fears of rejection again, but I know that forward momentum requires taking chances.

I’m not talking about pushing the boundaries of right and wrong here. Learn from the mistakes of others, but if growing requires some risk then count the cost and take the leap.