Last Thursday I entered into a demolition derby. In case anyone was wondering, this isn't like a racing derby...it was a full "fight to the death" scenario with vehicles. Basically we wrecked into each other until someone's car either A). Quit working/couldn't move or B). Caught on fire and then quit working.
It was intense, crazy, and a complete adrenaline rush. The craziest part about all of it though....
I won!!
I beat out nine other guys (including my own brother) and took home a nice huge trophy and $300 in spending money.
Honestly, even looking back on it now, I find it hard to believe that I even won. Some of the guys in this competition had been doing this for years (my brother for example), and little ole me won my first time around. I didn't have a strategy of anything either....I just did my own thing and hoped that my car didn't catch fire.
A lot of people kept asking beforehand if I was nervous.
But I wasn't...not really at least. I mean, I had the minor fear that my car would randomly combust on me and I'd get caught in a fiery death trap...but seriously, how absurd does that sound? Hence, why it was a minor fear.
Which brings me to my point.
As people, we seem to let fear consume us on things that we honestly shouldn't be afraid of. And out of fear, we can bring up justifiable reasoning as to why whatever we're about to do is a bad idea. I mean, don't get me wrong. There's a 50/50 chance that what you're about to do IS in fact a bad idea. But, when it comes to running a derby, skydiving, trying a new food, meeting new people.... those aren't bad ideas. They're just new. And that's scary.
Which is why I strive to overcome some of those fears. Not all, because lets face it, if I were to follow through with my plan of jumping into a pit of lions JUST so I could pet one....that would clearly be not only scary, but stupid. But to just step out and do something out of the norm. Entering a fake beard contest, doing this derby, flying to Switzerland, even just writing this blog for people to see....
All of those have different types of fears that people succumb to on a daily basis. Fear of judgment, fear of getting hurt, fear of the unknown.....yet here I am.
Not because I'm trying to prove something or "be cool". I do it, simply because I want to. Because if I don't do it now, I know I'll regret it later.
I don't want to miss out on anything like that simply because I was afraid. Fear can be overcome. Regrets are harder to deal with.
Not that I don't have any, I have plenty of things I wish I would've done when I was younger that I just refused to do. And I'm sure there will be more to come. I can't imagine going through my life and looking back thinking "I had the perfect life. No regrets."
Because lets face it, you're gonna have regrets. Big ones, small ones....they'll come. The challenge though, is to fill those regrets with even better memories.
Oh, you didn't climb that rock wall as a child. That's fine, go climb it now. Oh, you didn't have a lot friends when you were little. Go make great friends now. Oh, I didn't go to college when I should've. What's stopping you now?
Quoting the millions of people who have said it before, life doesn't stop for anyone. Every second is another minute is another hour added on to your life. Do you really want to waste it by living in fear of the what if's?
Go out, crash a couple cars, get banged up, and enjoy life. And let me know how you feel afterward :)
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