Inspiration Archives: Akshay Nanavati

Fear is not your enemy. Fear is your friend. Embrace it, welcome it and push past it to find your true destiny that lies waiting for you on the other side.

All growth springs forth from venturing out into the unknown. Out there beyond those fateful frontiers of your perceived limits lives your greatness. The infinite possibilities available to you in life lie waiting for you in unchartered territory. You simply have to choose to embark upon that voyage.

To get everything you want in life, you must be willing to do something you have never done and be someone you have never been. Where you are in your life right now is a result of the choices you have made in the past. And you will continue getting what you have gotten unless you do something bold. Something new.

Whether it be skydiving, starting your own business, running a marathon or public speaking, go out there and do something that makes those butterflies in your stomach go wild.

This action does not need to directly relate to your life goals. The action just serves as a metaphor for your limitless potential. Every inch out into the unknown builds a rock solid, unbreakable spirit that cannot and will not be shattered.

Self confidence results from successfully having survived a risk. Thus the form of the risk matters less than the level of courage it requires to face it. The greater the required amount of courage, the greater the rewards on the other side.

As C.S. Lewis said, "courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

Any worthy risk will induce fear. It is only natural. Expect it, so you don't let it stop you. Then embrace your only freedom: the space that lies between a stimulus and your response to it by choosing to focus on the pleasure on the other side of fear, not the possibility of pain on this one. That choice is the spark of courage.

It takes courage in the face of fear, not the absence of it, to take a leap into something magnificent. Each step through fear pushes your comfort zone out one inch further. This constant process of mental, physical, spiritual and physical growth transforms success from uncertainty to inevitability.

As a result of the compound effect of those incremental steps over time, you will achieve a level of self confidence that will make you unstoppable in the face of any challenge that comes your way.

The only enemy you have is your choice to be paralyzed by fear. Should you remain stagnant though, you will continue floating down a lazy river that leads to nowhere.

If, on the other hand, you choose to live your greatness, in the raging rapids of life, you will hit rocks. Rest assured, as long as you aim for the stars, life will beat you down. You will encounter failure. But the unbreakable spirit that is forged in the fires of facing fear will guide you through every obstacle and into success.

Today, at this moment, you get to choose your destiny by taking that first step.