Hi, I’m Reid! I write about my life experiences and how we can all live in brave new ways. Dare You is a reader-supported publication. To receive weekly posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 💗
For anyone who has an idea but is afraid to act on it, or perhaps you find yourself sitting still, riddled with anxiety, and just keep wishing for someone or something to come along and change everything…. The cold hard truth is, no one Is coming to save you. No one is swooping in to place fortune in your lap, grant you your dream job, give you permission, or validate you. It is your responsibility to do this for yourself.
As a matter of fact, usually the person or thing you were praying to come along only comes along once you’ve taken the first step forward into the unknown. The universe has a way of swooping in to give us a boost of energy and a sign that says, “you can do it, and here’s proof.” But first, you must bet on yourself and be okay with failing.
The Canadian Psychotherapist and Author Nathaniel Braden wrote in his book Six Pillars of Self Esteem, “No one is coming to save you; no one is coming to make life right for you; no one is coming to solve your problems. If you don’t do something, nothing is going to get better. The dream of a rescuer who will deliver us may offer a kind of comfort, but it leaves us passive and powerless. We may feel if only I suffer long enough, if only I yearn desperately enough, somehow a miracle will happen, but this is the kind of self-deception one pays for with one’s life as it drains away into the abyss of unredeemable possibilities and irretrievable days, months, decades.”
THIS. This right here is everything. We’ve all experienced times in our life where we have no idea what to do next, and the pressure to figure it out is so heavy on our shoulders that we allow our anxiety to keep us in place while we pray for someone or something to come and save us. Although I do believe strongly in the power of prayer, I can also acknowledge that the universe, God, whatever you want to call it, has a way of showing up for us when we show up for ourselves and take action. Nathanial Braden was right… dreaming of a rescuer who will deliver us may offer a kind of comfort, but what if that rescuer we dream of is ourselves? YOU can be your own rescuer.
By taking responsibility for one’s life, you become empowered, and when you feel empowered, you have the energy to take action. Even if your first action doesn’t bring a solution to your problem, the forward motion will create circumstances that will bring you new opportunities, and when those opportunities come, you will seize them. There is danger in passive waiting, and there will always be consequences to your inaction. If you are hoping to meet your soul mate but can’t seem to muster up the courage to Put yourself out there and go on dates with strangers, you are risking never even meeting them at all or having your time on earth with your favorite person be much shorter than it could be.
Sometimes we glamorize our own suffering so that we have an excuse to not take a risk and create a solution to our own problem… but there is nothing glamorous about our suffering. Remember how powerful and resourceful you are. Acknowledge your gifts and strengths as tools you can use to change your life. Believe in yourself and trust that everything will always work out as long as you remember who you really are and how worthy you are of being happy.
-Reid