A New Year For The Anxious Athlete And You

What a crazy year for me, I started The Anxious Athlete with the hopes of helping people through their anxiety which is now looking like an epidemic of some sorts. I still remember the day I walked out of my home after spending 31 days locked up due to my Agoraphobia, that was some day... I guess you could call it becoming enlightened? Or plain and simply bewilderment. I recognized that day that anxiety isn't something we must try and STOP necessarily, it's something that we truly must in fact experience. Those 10 scary steps I took up my stairs to freedom from my Agoraphobia I will never forget as my heart pounded harder than ever before, my lump in my throat sensation turning from a golf ball feeling stuck in my throat to a tennis ball, and my dizziness symptoms that normally accompanied my anxiety disorder letting me know more than ever that it was present. Every single part of my being SHOUTING at me to turn back, to get back to a safe place where I was comfortable... but for the first time in a very long time I refused. You can't really call what I was doing LIVING anyway, I was simply existing and being more of a burden for people that cared about me.As a young boy I had incredible tennis professional potential and was reminded of it by others daily, not only that I had this personality that others were easily attracted to and people wanted to be around me so they could feed off of my positive healthy energy. I had leadership qualities and I knew one day if I could just set my mind to something I could definitely be the best at it! But stories like this are everywhere, I'm not special by no means just a guy who was brave enough one day to look his fears in the eyes and ask it to do it's worst. You have a story like this as well I'm sure, you remember those days in the past when you dared to dream and experienced that dream in small doses don't you? Boy did that ever feel good I bet. The sheer adrenaline rush of swimming your first lap ever in a swimming pool, or your first singing audition where you stepped up and gave it everything you had and walked off the stage feeling like a winner, or the first time you taught someone something that changed that persons life forever.By refusing to go back into my safe zone which was my home I defied my fears, for many this kind of an accomplishment wouldn't be understood but pleasing others wasn't my number one priority at the time. Simply put "you can't help the poor by being one of them," and I knew that in order for me to create a lasting difference in someone else's life like I was destined to do from a young age... I had to be overcome my anxiety disorder naturally and become the leader I always knew I could be. That day changed my whole life, all I had to do for a split second was stop listening to my critical voice... and listen to the whispers of my true voice.If you want to make 2014 your greatest year until now, I want to challenge you to listen to your true voice and let that lead the way. Your critical voice will always be there in the background looking out for you and trying to keep you safe, but that doesn't mean you have to listen to it and take action through it right? Fear clearly distorts our true vision of what our lives can be, but my promise to you is if you can find it within yourself to take those first 10 steps just like I did on that one memorable day I had. I promise you that you will begin to create powerful momentum in the direction you have to go.

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