After an early-morning personal training sesh with one of my best friends (who happens to be one of my clients), a quick five-minute heart to heart commenced; right before she shuffled out the door to shower and head to work.
Our conversation was nothing out of the ordinary. Because honestly, heart to heart convos happen quite frequently when you put two twenty-somethings in the same room together, almost every morning, for over a month. No gossip, no bullshit, just two young women talking about life. But in that short five minutes, she brought something up that 99.9% of us deal with on a daily basis: the fear of the unknown.
We laughed and joked about the first day she showed up to my house for personal training. We’d known each other for six years, and been through multiple life milestones together. But apparently showing up to your friends house, trusting them with your health and well-being, leaves you feeling nothing short of vulnerable.
I guess I didn’t fully grasp the significance of my friend’s gesture until this morning. She took a chance on me. With a leap of faith and a whole lot of courage, she trusted me. She trusted me with her body, health and well-being. She knew I was fit, and she knew I loved to workout; but other than my blog, she had absolutely no idea what I was capable of.
The first day she showed up for training, despite being friends, she admitted she was terrified. But it wasn’t because she was scared of weights or sweating or working her ass off (literally), it was the fear of the unknown. She had no idea what she was in for.
When you think of working out, you think elliptical, treadmill and lifting weights. I showed up, and you had me do Tabata, and I was like whaaaaa? Tabata? I swear you’ve had me work muscles that I didn’t even know existed.
Hearing her talk about everything she’s learned with me, and how excited she is when she talks about being able to finally fit into a favorite outfit, fills my heart with a sense of sincere satisfaction. It’s just proof great things happen when you tell that little voice of fear to get lost.
In the last minute of our heart to heart, I reassured her she was not alone in her fear of the unknown. Every single client who has stepped through my door, on the first day, has looked terrified. Wide-eyed, quiet and maybe a little bit intimidated by the fact I have a pull-up bar hanging from my bedroom door? (That’s just a guess.) Nevertheless, the fear of the unknown was most certainly present; but just like her, they overcame it.
As I locked the door behind her and sat down on the couch to drink my coffee, I thought about my mom. I thought about all the times she’s advised me to not be afraid of the unknown.
“It’ll get you every time,” she incessantly reminds me. “Try not to live in the past or the future. Live in the present, live in the here and now, and forget about the rest. Because right now, in this very moment, you are okay.”
When I feel like my life is unraveling without my consent, her sweet reminders replay in my head. And just when I feel like the last thread is about to be pulled out from under me, something wonderful happens. Because fortunately, I’ve learned (and am still learning) to tell that little voice of fear to get lost.
The fear of the unknown is present in every aspect of our lives…our jobs, our family, our relationships. But worrying about the future, and being fearful of what you cannot control, will get you absolutely nowhere. Having faith in yourself and your capabilities will propel you further in life than you could ever imagine. So let go of the fear of the unknown and take a leap of faith, because you are going places. I know it.
**Please feel free to use the image above — © Fit is Chic
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one! Not even a full week into it and I trust you completely though.