on fear

Lately, I've been contemplating about fear. I think it's because, as a freelancer, I often get asked questions about my career, mostly from people are restless or unhappy with their current situations. Typically, our conversation boils down to nervousness of not getting work, not making a big enough salary, not enjoying the solitary lifestyle. It's totally understandable: Heck, I waffled for a good two to three years before I finally quit my job. But my newest catchphrase is the 65 percent theory -- meaning, you have to be 65 percent there emotionally and the rest is the leap of faith. It's all a matter of believing in your ability. When I was younger, I didn't fully trust myself, so I held back; I was afraid of failure, embarrassment, injury, and heartache. But now I know that I'm smart enough to make the right decisions, and even if worse comes to worse, I'll brush myself off and recover, bruised ego and all. That's the thing that I really like about surfing; it takes all these issues and makes them tangible in the ocean. I still have a way to go when it comes to making the plunge on scary drops, but at least I know that I'm progressing!