{to dare greatly}

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is not effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”

On the verge of what seems like the cliff that overlooks my future this passage embodies every emotion I feel, fear and unworthiness, while it gives me peace as I venture into the unknown- as I step off the edge and hope with great faith that I will land exactly where I am meant to be.

As I was telling someone the other day “to truly live is to take risks, to step out of your comfort zone.” In the past I have held onto the stable things in my life, gripping onto what I can control, working with everything I have to succeed. And there have been times when I have given in and let go, throwing up my hands and abandoning my control. In these moments, the vulnerable times are the moments when I feel most alive. And so with the future quickly approaching I find myself with an internal debate- where part of me wants to cling to the things “I know”, the comforts in my life, the places where I know who I am, while deep down my gut screams to give in and let the wind take me- my adventurous soul knows that I could be cutting myself short of truly living, if I do not take the chance.

This is how I have gotten to here, standing on the edge of what I know. I am ready to take the step, to find the light, to follow my gut, and believe that God has greater plans for my life- no matter where that may be. And I’ll be honest, even with joy that overwhelms me at such amazing opportunities ahead of me and a strong feeling that overcomes me telling me I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing I still have a million or more butterflies swarming around in my belly.

There are times when I let my fear and insecurity run rampant and I question if I’ll be “good enough”. But as stated above there is no effort without error and shortcomings. I may not be perfect- I may not be the most “qualified” students out there with the pristine resume and I may stumble and fall short from time to time but I will go out in the arena giving it my all- vulnerable and open.

If I’ve learned anything from the life I’ve lived thus far, it is that some things are out of our control and all we can do is be the best us there is- strive for our passions, have faith in the unknown, and believe that we are worthy. And so, I will step off the ledge and let what happens happen but I will do it while daring greatly to achieve what I can only hope the future holds.