We live in a world that celebrates bravery. Actually no. We live in a world that celebrates bravado.
A result of that is the general unwillingness to talk about things we are afraid of. I’m not just talking about being scared in horror movies or running away from spiders. I’m talking about fears we hold deep within us, fears we don’t always even know we have, fears we don’t have a name for, fears we hide from and fears we definitely don’t want the world to know about. Why? Because everyone else lives such a ridiculously courageous life and it’s “wrong” or “weak” not to have your entire life in control.
The reality couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The last 3 years have been a conscious and continuous (read: daily) step into fear. There has not been a single day where I haven’t question my decision to leave my career in Maersk. And I’m not unique or special in this regard. Do you know what helps me to keep going? I meet people every day who make the same decisions as I do to keep stepping into their fear.
Because in doing that, we begin to debunk our fear. Rather than looking at it in the rear view mirror as we’re running away from it, we begin to face it. And if you do it long enough, the picture begins to come into focus - that rather than being a frightening nebulous being that’s going to take away everything I care about, it has slowly become someone I can understand.
So what have I learnt in the last 3 years about myself?
That I make far better decisions when I’m not reacting in fear, that I am far more resourceful than I ever thought I was, that I have GRIT, that understanding my fear brings clarity to my actions and my motivations, that I can choose the outcomes I want in life by understanding why I make decisions, that understanding my fear allows me to remain curious, child-like, joyful, grateful while retaining a clear understanding that the world isn’t always a good place, that I know the sort of people I want to truly let into my life, that letting go of some fears is the only way to accomplish what we dream about, that I am happy to be underestimated but I struggle with being misunderstood, that if we hold space for people to face their fears without judgement, we create a more loving world.
The list goes on and on.
Today, I’m not afraid to let people know that I don’t know everything or that I’m still learning. The reality is - we are all still learning. And the illusion that we have it all together is simply that: an illusion.
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My name is Eu Jin. I embarked on a career as a professional actor after 20 years in the corporate world. I am a big advocate of personal growth in the performing arts. I dedicate time and energy in performing arts education, specifically in the arena of practical approaches to inner health because I believe that this lays the groundwork for a sustainable career as an artiste.
If you would like to engage in a conversation about a healthy inner life practice, please leave me a message on the "Contact" page of my website and a way to contact you. Thank you.