Fear cripples. It makes you a prisoner of your own. Thus denies you the ability to stretch and grab opportunities.  Nothing else is doable unless you have enough courage.To succeed, you need courage to follow your dreams. Courage to make decisions that may seem unpopular and may invoke fear in your personal and professional  life.

One of the greatest definition of courage is an American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou. She believed that one isn’t necessarily born with courage. Without it, you cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. Her life story is one of true determination to create a world you want to live in. Having  come from a separated family, being brought up by different persons who affected her life, to creating her own space is amazing.

Maya’s parents separated when she was only 3 years old.  She was later molested by one of her step fathers and this scenario really forced her into silence. But with the help of her teachers, she was able to truly discover herself and her purpose. That was not the end of her troubles though. Maya lost her loved ones and close friends that greatly affected her.

Despite all these challenges, she triumphed. She learned how to beat fear. Her experiences could have given her enough reasons not to stand out.  Nevertheless, she left behind a great legacy because she believed in herself. The only difference between success and failure is the choice you make. You can choose to acknowledge fear and still do it anyway. But you can also decide not to try and remain in your comfort zone. Without trial, you’ll never succeed.

You need courage to get a new job, to stop bad habits, and even settle down and have a family. Everything starts with you. Look to only one person for permission: yourself. Once you make up your mind, go for it. Don’t be afraid to fail, you’ll learn and eventually grow. Stand above your circumstances.

Fear has never done any good, anyway.