Just a few minutes ago, after twenty-three years, I
discovered a fear of mine that I had never thought of before: a fear that
is very prominent in my life.
People always talk about the fear of rejection. When I hear
that, my mind instantly runs to the idea of fear that others will reject
us. However, have we considered the vice versa scenario of this fear? Is it
possible that we may be holding back in our relationships because we fear to
reject another?
This is a real problem in my life.
Growing up, especially in my dating life, I realize that I
have really missed out on opportunities to form friendships and create
meaningful experiences with people because I fear to disappoint. Example: Turning down
a date because I was not interested in the person romantically. Recently, I
have discovered that this fear is ridiculous and a little too apparent in my
life! However, without knowing it, I have been learning to overcome this fear.
The other day, I received a text from a man who I believe is interested in me
romantically. Before, I regret to say that I would have probably ignored the
text. However, I decided to face the music (what does that phrase even mean?) and accept the fact that I might be
rejecting this poor boy. So I responded. And surprisingly, nothing happened. We
had a nice conversation seeing how each other was and then the conversation
ended. And I didn’t have to reject anyone!
No matter how scary it is, my goal is to keep working on
having sincere interactions with people without the fear of rejection. For me or for someone else.
This is a note from Heidi.
Make it a good life!
