Scare Yourself

I just recently read an article by Jay McDonald writing for Bankrate of all places, but it is a great list of his
10 Things to Do Before Turning 50.
My favorite is number 8 - Scare Yourself.

I am finding that as I get older, I have less and less courage for things that scare me. When I was younger I always thought that old people (meaning everyone over about 35) were timid and unspontaneous and over-cautious and just plan boring. I always wondered what happens to people? What makes them way? Will it happen to me? How can I stop it from happening?

At nearly 50, I know that avoiding things that scare me happens in tiny increments over the years. It happens because of life experience - seeing bad things happen makes them more real. It happens when you have children because you want to protect them - and protect yourself so that you can take care of them. It happens because over time we learn our limitations - and often the hard way. And for me, it has happened because I have less confidence that I can rebound from setbacks and failures than I did when I was younger.

I think that being willing to scare yourself means different things for everyone - and for me, it's not as much about jumping off high things (though I find that pretty terrifying), but more about taking personal risks. Taking the risk to try, when it is so often easy not to. Taking the risk to care, to forgive, to hope, to yearn, and mostly - to feel.

It's something to think about. Scary.