New and improved topic: FEAR!

 "You should do one thing every day that scares you." 

This week I was hanging out in my friend's room and saw the above quote on her wall. This quote got me thinking- I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of heights, roller coasters, people who drive too fast, sudden turns, open water, water skiing, being in the dark alone, most vegetables, failure, public speaking... everything. Athazagoraphobia, is my greatest fear-- the fear of being forgotten or ignored. You're probably thinking "Wow, what isn't she afraid of?" Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. Everyone loves a success story. We all love to hear about people who overcome their fears. Why not blog about it? So I've decided to change the premise of my blog. Each week, I will post about fears. I'll post things that scare me, fears I've conquered that week, fears others have conquered- anything that relates to the fear that consumes so many of us.

Now that I've introduced my new and improved topic, I'll move on to my interview. I interviewed Laura Bolling, a Junior and fellow Brenau student. I picked her because Saturday night, right before I was about to face my fear of being in front of people by performing a step with my sorority, she conquered one of my own fears: public speaking. There were way too many people to count crammed in the tiny side room at the gag, and before she spoke, she was telling me not to be nervous. She didn't seem phased by the crowd at all. And then she spoke without a stutter.


KB: How would you define fear?
LB: A psychological situation that causes anxiety or unpleasant emotions


KB: What are you afraid of? 

LB: Rodents, people finding out my secrets, and being ineffective

KB: What is your biggest fear?

LB: That I'll miss the opportunity to change the world. Or that even though I tried, it will stay the same. 

KB: What helps you conquer your fears, big or small?

LB: Being proactive. If I see a problem, I try to change it.

KB: "You should do one thing each day that scares you." How do you feel about this quote?

LB: Gloria Steinem once said that you should do one outrageous thing a day and I think they go hand in hand. If you do one thing that scares you each day, you'll eventually become fearless.  

KB:  Who has inspired you to face your fears?

LB: Probably my mother. She has faced such hard and scary times, but she still comes out of situations with a pure and open heart and she refuses to become jaded. 

KB:  Have you conquered any fears since you've come to Brenau?

LB: PUBLIC SPEAKING!!! I used to be so afraid to speak in front of my peers and now I truly enjoy it. 

(This is my biggest fear, and the very reason why I picked Laura to interview!)

KB: What is the scariest thing you've ever done?

LB: Moving away from a horrible situation in Washington state. In freeing myself, I found Brenau and became the woman I am today. 

Next, I asked her to say the first thing that came to her mind when I mentioned the following:

KB: Fear?

LB: unknown 

KB: Phobia?

LB: RATS!!!

KB: Caution?

LB: Driving

KB: Brave?

LB: Standing up to injustice

Same time next week? Perfect. See you then. :)