How can we be faced with fear and do the damn thing anyway?

First off, thank you to those that have subscribed to my newsletter. It is humbling to see people from all different parts of my life gathered here. To have the initial support while I work to face my own fears means a lot to me.

I thought it would be helpful to share a little bit more about myself. I have been on this life journey for 40 years now and hope to provide you with a bit of inspiration by sharing my own thoughts, learnings and insights.

How it all began

My life started with a variety of athletics, which I am very grateful for. From all forms of dance, soccer and 10 years as a gymnast. I believe this was the start of being afraid of something, being faced by fear, and doing the damn thing anyway.

Sometimes it did take a coach screaming at me a bit to 'go for it'. This ended up showing me that having the right people in your corner can be a super power. The ones that want the best for you, believe in you - so when they are "screaming" at you, you can trust.

This is more or less mixed with tuning into your intuition, which you will notice is almost always tied to doing the damn thing (or not).

I feel very lucky to have had the experiences I had in my childhood, but also know that there were some major bumps along the way that I had to face at a very young age. This shaped me in ways that I didn't even understand until I started to talk to someone that could help me put the pieces together.

Making big decisions

I started my postsecondary education journey at a community college because, to be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Also, the thought of trying to figure that out, while away from home, just put way too much pressure on me. It really ended up being one of the best decisions I made for myself, and yet again I am faced with listening to that handy intuition of mine (without yet realizing that was what I was doing).

I learned very quickly that I preferred smaller classrooms where I could really get to know my classmates and instructors. It gave me the time and the s p a c e to figure out what was calling to me. I ended up selecting a graphic design major. I loved how creative I could be in this space and it came with the most interesting electives, like getting the chance to learn about my love for photography.

When it came time, I narrowed my 4-year college search to what appealed to me at community college. I landed at La Salle University with a scholarship and happily moved into an apartment with two others that transferred the semester before. Because of the small classes, I quickly realized I loved to be creative but maybe not 100% in the digital arts field.

When faced with - if you change your major now, you will have to go to school longer - it really made me pause, but I will never forget what my mom told me when we discussed it..."go for what your heart is telling you, don't just finish because that is where you started".

I joined the business school the next semester with a focus on marketing. This moment will go down as one of the most pivotal moments in my career/life journey. I ended up going to college for 5 years with one summer completely dedicated to school and two semesters with extra classes. Wow. Once I found a space that felt like home for me, things became so much easier..taking summer classes was not as painful as it sounded. The professors that I was able to form relationships with changed my life.

I will end this little Kristina 101 here as the next phase of my life started dark but ended up providing me with so much light. More to come..

Facing my own fears

Do you know how long I have been wanting to write a newsletter before I finally decided to write said newsletter? Realistically, at least for the past year. In my subconscious, since newsletters came into existence.

What makes my thoughts so interesting that others would want to read them?

The thing is, everybody has their own unique story and we shouldn't be afraid to share it.

Even if it only ends up resonating with one person, that is one person that really needed to hear your story. I will leave you with this book recommendation as we continue on our path of looking fear in the face and still doing the damn thing:

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

See you next week.