A few years ago, I was at a church group and we were discussing the relationship between fear and making decisions. I was going on about how I wanted to pursue a new venture but I was scared. Then one of the women said “do it afraid.” She talked about a book she read a while back that had a similar title. This statement literally stopped me in my tracks and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to do something that I was afraid of.

I’ve always been a cautious person, but as a creative it’s been a constant internal tug of war. I have this need to have my ducks in a row and carefully thought out to-do lists. The good old pros and cons. What can go wrong vs what can go right. Yet, on the inside there’s this raging desire to just do what I want. Now, I need to admit that it’s not wise to blindly follow this feeling, which I’ve unfortunately done usually to my detriment…but again how far can you get being too careful? Is there such a thing as being overly cautious? Absolutely.

I’ve learned that there are beautiful things that you will never experience if you don’t take a chance. For instance, about a year ago, a friend of mine invited me on a hike. I was kind of wary because she said it would be off of the highest lookout in Kokee which is a beautiful mountain we have here on Kauai. Just the fact it started off of this lookout point suggested it would be steep and possibly treacherous. I had visited the scenic lookout with my mom and son a few months before and the views were beautiful.

So, I went to work the following day and told my coworkers about the hike and since they were locals, I asked for their feedback. The response was along of the lines of “you could die and “scary.” I immediately texted my friend and told her I was having second thoughts. Her response was “nah you’ll be fine” and “it’s moderate at worse.” Since she was an athlete and experienced hiker, I decided to trust her judgment and committed to go.

I’ll admit my stomach was queasy on the way up the mountain and when I saw we had to go over a guard rail to even start the hike, I was tempted to turn back. Yet, something in me wouldn’t let me give up.

The hike started as relatively moderate. The trail was narrow but there were shrubs and greenery on both sides. It was a good cardio workout with the constant elevation changes.

Then this happened…The trail became narrower and I was surrounded on both sides by either a steep drop off the ridge or endless rolling hills of thorny bushes. It was either turn back or keep going. My friend patiently encouraged me to keep going, so I did. I made a point of keeping eyes on the trail ahead ignoring the edges.

The lookout in the distance was kind of like a beacon we were moving towards.

I’m not going to lie and say it was easy, but with each step I took forward my confidence increased. I was amazed by the positivity of fellow hikers as we passed each other. Their smiles of encouragement put me at ease and I appreciated the absence of judgment when I would freak out at a tricky turn or climb.

There’s something about being out in nature that brings out the best in people. Whether you go solo, in a pair or group, the positivity is contagious. But there’s nothing better than that feeling of wonder when you finally get to that summit or lookout. On this particular hike, the trail got impossibly narrower as we reached that look out point. Again, I almost turned back but my friend said something along the lines of are you kidding we’re almost there. I kept going and finally made it to the lookout.

Experiencing views like this always solidifies my faith and makes the existence of God unquestionable. I couldn’t believe that 1. I made it this far, 2. Had the fortune of living in and experiencing such a beautiful place and 3. Awakened the desire to keep seeing beautiful places like this even if they were difficult to get to. So, if this resonates with you at all, I hope to inspire you to chase that dream, take that trip, start the new hobby, and prepare for the marathon- whatever it is. Even if you’re still hesitant and frightened, don’t let that stop you- do it afraid!