Risk

Risk
Poet: William Arthur Ward

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because
the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing,
does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.
Chained by his servitude he is a slave
who has forfeited all freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

http://thebettermanprojects.com/inspiration/10783-power-of-our-words 


There was a time in my life that I felt like nothingness.  At the time I didn't identify my fear based life as the root of the problem.  I didn't remember my childhood.  I didn't understand what drove me.  I didn't know what was wrong.  I finally hit rock bottom and decided to get out.  It wasn't an overnight process.  I counted progress in years not days and weeks.