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<\/a><\/p>\n2012 Resolutions – Be Brave<\/p>\n
With the start of a new year it is common to hear about new year
\nresolutions. I’ve seen many talk about setting resolutions to battle
\nfears. “Fear” is the big keyword everywhere. Tackling fear that is
\nkeeping one from accomplishing life-goals, to job-related changes,
\nright down to fear keeping writers from finishing or submitting or
\npublishing their work.<\/p>\n
Turning attention to deep-seated fears, confronting them, and dealing
\nwith them are good things. However, that’s not what I wanted to talk
\nabout in this post.<\/p>\n
I want to talk about something that is needed to help combat fear: bravery.<\/p>\n
I’ve been thinking about bravery a lot as I’m working on the next book
\nin “The String Weavers” series. The main character of Kelsey Hale
\nneeds and displays a lot of bravery. She has to in order to survive as
\nshe’s been ripped away from the only home she’s known, her father is
\nmissing, and she’s discovered she might not even be the species she
\nthought she was.<\/p>\n
When confronting fears, there are several ways to do it. 1. The small
\nsteps that get you out of the path fear before it mows you down. 2.
\nJumping to the side and to another path, although this can mean the
\nfear can follow you in a new way. OR 3. Confronting the fear full
\nhead-on, determined to eradicate it or die trying.<\/p>\n
As a writer, I’ve learned many things from the characters I write.
\nFrom Kelsey, I’ve learned to turn around and confront whenever
\npossible, all while keeping the eyes open to the possibilities.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, I’m going into 2012 with the goal of tackling the
\nfears by being brave. To turn around and face the fears and wrestle
\nthem to the ground. In doing so, I’m hoping to turn 2012 into the year
\nwhere my personal and business life take a turn for the positive.<\/p>\n
This all started by acknowledging the fears existed. This took some
\ntime to pin down, and meant honest self-reflection. When I came to a
\nrealization, I wrote it down. By the end, I had a list of three
\nprimary fears that I know affected my life in 2011.<\/p>\n
With the list I made small goals of ways to confront each to make the
\nprocess more manageable. Not to step out of the way, not to go down
\nanother path, but to try to confront the fears and learn new ways of
\ndealing with each.<\/p>\n
I don’t expect it to be easy or pleasant most of the time. It will
\nlikely take a lot longer than a year to do. That’s okay. I know by
\nbeing brave to face those fears I will be positively impacting 2012
\nand the life-lessons will help me through the rest of my life. It will
\nimpact everything, from personal life to professional.<\/p>\n
That’s a worthwhile new year’s resolution: Be brave in confronting fears.<\/p>\n
I hope as each of you march off into 2012 you will look at a few of
\nyour fears and display the bravery needed to begin subduing them. Your
\nfuture-you will thank you for it.<\/p>\n
J.A. Marlow is a science fiction writer of “The String Weavers” series Amazon –\u00a0http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/ Barnes & Noble –
\nand many others, and can be found at\u00a0http:\/\/jamarlow.com<\/a>. “The String
\nWeavers” Book 1 can be found at<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.