It’s been a minute since I’ve updated my blog.

And now, I’m sitting in this coffee shop (in one of the coolest spots in Columbus) trying to figure out what to say.  There’s a lot going on; a lot to share, divulge, and ask.  I’m not even sure that anyone else will care about these things.  But, I am a bit of a sharer, so I’ll just spurt out a lot of random things.  Bear with me.

• • Life is amazing.  Unbelievably so.  It’s all a symphony;  every moment, every minute – every victory, every defeat, every laughter, every tear, every doubt, every stubborn step forward…it’s all a symphony.
  • Moving is hard.
  • Like, really hard.
  • A new blog (instagram shot) is in the works.  It’ll look way different, and feel a bit different, and say some really different things.  I hope that you’ll like different.  I hope that different will be meaningful.
  • I’m not sure what I can offer the world.  That doubting whisper has been shouting into my heart the past three weeks.  Chasing your dreams is an adventure in shouting back at doubt.
  • I THINK I JUST SAW MACKLEMORE WALK BY.  No joke.
  • I miss many of my old friends that I’ve lost touch with over the years.  It sucks how busy we become, and how forgetful I can be to call.
  • My new job is ridiculously awesome.  Fast pace, aggressive, creative, and risky.  That’s just what I like.  Every day there’s a new challenge.  Every day, a new moment to prove myself.
  • I’m scared to death that I will fail at it.
  • Everything always seems to be more difficult for me.  I’m not sure why that is, or how to explain it.
  • I’d REALLY like to have a place to live.  Greg and Lindsey have been so incredibly gracious by offering me a guest room for the past month and a half.  I owe them.  Big.
  • Sometimes, I feel completely alone and awkward. I’m not really sure where that’s coming from.
  • Faith starts with grace, not repetition.  I think that we sometimes forget that.  We place our faith in our churches, our beliefs, our systems, our prayers, our skills, our abilities, our services.  How often you go to church is not the determining factor of your faith.  How intimately aware of grace you are and how frequently you extend it, is.  

That’s probably the most random post I’ve ever written, and I think that I’d like to write more like it.  I hope this blog continues to build a diverse community; and sharing is how we make that happen.  So, thanks for listening.

Comment below and tell me;  What’s going through your head right now?

There’s really only one thing holding you back from living out your best story: FEAR.  

The fear that you’ll fail.  The fear that you won’t add up.  The fear that you’ll stall out.  The fear that you’ll get beat.  The fear that you won’t be first.  The fear that nobody will get you.  The fear that no one will listen….

Fear has a lot of outlets, but in the end, it’s still fear.  And it always voices a pretty convincing argument.  So, how do you beat it?

YOU DON’T.

Yeah.

Isn’t that comforting?!

The truth is, if you’re an artist of any breed or tribe, fear will always be a part of your art.  It’s the fear that makes us vulnerable, and vulnerability births the most remarkable art that connects with souls and heartbeats.

We don’t get to beat fear, ever.  But at the same time, fear doesn’t get to beat us.  We have a choice to fight and wrestle fear into submission.  And the way that we force fear into our corner is through stubborn persistence.  

Fear held in submission can be a powerful thing.

It holds us in check by forcing us to articulate our motives for creating.  It scrutinizes our work, making sure that we are offering our best effort.  It refines our heart and callouses our nerves, pushing us to define the possibility of our passions.

Sure, fear may win an argument here or there.  It may bring up a valid point or two when it shouts in our ears.  But, it only wins when we give up and walk away.

Fear’s greatest fear is your stubborn persistence to keep going.  To keep creating.  To keep evolving.  To keep churning out art.  To keep trying.  If fear is holding you back, know that you have a choice.  A choice to sit back and fall in line; or a choice to stubbornly persist that a better story is possible.  Beating fear is as simple and difficult as not giving up.

I think that it’s time to resolve to give fear something to fear.   Comment below and tell me:  What’s the one thing holding you back from chasing after your dream?