I recently signed up to receive daily emails containing tips on how to succeed. The very first email I received was so insightful and taught me a lot about fear! The author had this to say about it: “Every great and extraordinary feat in this world was done by defeating fear…by courage.” If you let it, fear can become a very powerful force in your life. The email went on to say the more you feed into your fear, the bigger it gets. Before you know it, your fear has such a hold on you that you probably can’t even remember why it was you were afraid in the first place. The fear becomes illogical but that doesn’t stop you from being afraid. On the flip side, if you face that fear, and overcome it, it disappears and no longer holds you back from reaching your true potential.

That got me thinking about fear in a whole new way and I wanted to share with you all a little bit about my experience and how I overcame my fears. Thankfully, I didn’t let fear define my future.

I remember when I first started thinking about leaving my job and starting my own business. Half of me was kidding and the other half was merely dreaming. There was no way I could actually do it. We weren’t in a position for me to make such a drastic change. We had just bought a house and Noah had recently been born. How could I possibly think this was the right time?

I definitely let fear grab a hold of me for a few months. Every time I thought it was a great idea, Lou and I would think of 10 reasons why it wasn’t. The biggest reason always came back to this: “we have Noah to think about now, we can’t risk it all now that we have him.” Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, and fear of putting our son in a dim situation had taken hold of us. Thankfully, we learned that he was the exact reason why we had to risk it all! Instinct, society, custom, they all lead us to believe that once we have kids, we need to play it safe. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth!

Obviously, I’m talking about taking calculated risks. You should absolutely do your research, you should be passionate and committed to the cause, and you should be ready to work harder than you’ve ever worked before! But your kids shouldn’t stop you, they should motivate you! I’m so happy that Lou and I chose to overcome our fears and take the plunge. Noah, and now Ryan, are our biggest motivation! They are the main reason we strive to do our best.

Photo by: Alexandra Szebenyik

So, here are three reasons why your kids should be your motivation and help you overcome your illogical fears!

they will be your biggest motivation

Once you take the leap and go for it, your kids will become your biggest motivation! And this happens whether they know it or not! 😉 Every day I wake up and make the decision to invest in my business. I invest time, energy, money, etc. Not because I want to be the richest person alive or because I want to see my name in lights. I do it because I want to give my children the best life possible. On top of love and affection, I want to give them opportunities and experiences. I want to make them proud of their mom! I want to do good by them. They are my biggest motivators and they don’t even know it!

SO YOU CAN lead by example

We all want our kids to do great things! But how can we expect them to do great if they don’t see us, their parents, doing the same. We all know the saying “Do as I say, not as I do.” Well that doesn’t work! Your kids are watching your every move. Lead by example. Show them that hard work and perseverance pays off. I want my boys to know that they can do anything they put their minds to. And if I believe that for them, then why shouldn’t it be true about myself as well. Lou and I are the first examples that our kids will follow, I’m going to make sure we’re good ones!

so you’ll be a happier parent

I recently listened to a talk where the speaker said life should be an adventure! We should be happy to get out of bed in the morning and start our day! How much easier would it be to get out of bed if you were in a job that you love! And how much happier would that make you in so many other areas of your life? When you’re happy and fulfilled as an individual, you’re bound to be a happier parent! Being my own boss allows me to make my own schedule and so I have more time to devote to spending time with my children. I couldn’t be happier about this! I’m doing what I love and spending more time with the ones I love most.

Photo by: Alexandra Szebenyik

Photo by: Alexandra Szebenyik