Fear of failure. Fear of change. Fear of being judged.

I watched an inspiring movie this week (more about that movie later), which made me ponder the following questions:

Do you have dreams or ambitions that you haven't pursued yet because you have this internal voice telling you that you are not cut out for it? Do you see other people going after their dreams and living the kinds of lives you would like to live? Is something holding you back from going after your dreams?

It happens to all of us to varying degrees. What is typically holding us back from going after our dreams is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of change. Fear of being judged by family or friends. Fear of not being able to achieve our dreams and looking like fools.

What if you turned this question around? What if instead of asking yourself "What if I don't succeed?", you ask yourself "What if I do succeed?" How much better would your life be if you went for it and actually did it? What if you tackled the obstacles and challenges you're facing and went after your dreams despite them?

This is one of the many important lessons I was reminded of when watching the new Netflix movie "7 Yards: The Chris Norton Story". It's a movie about a young man by the name of Chris Norton, who is paralyzed from the neck down. You might have seen a video on the news five years ago that showed a young man getting out of his wheelchair and walking across the stage, assisted by his fiancee, to accept his college diploma. It's been watched by millions of people on YouTube! Click here to watch the video if you haven't seen it yet. It is such an inspiring video because Chris had been paralyzed from the neck down just a few years earlier due to a dramatic college football injury. At the time of his accident, the doctors gave him a less than 3% chance of ever regaining any movement below his neck.

The movie tells the story of Chris Norton's recovery from the time of the football accident. Chris plays himself in the movie, which makes it more special. It's amazing to see his zest for life and for improving his circumstances despite all the obstacles being thrown his way. It made me wonder, could I have mustered the same fortitude given those tough circumstances?

Here are some of the lessons I took from the movie:

• It's important to have a goal. We need something meaningful to work towards. In the case of Chris, he ultimately sets the goal of walking onto the graduation stage to accept his diploma, even though the odds are very much stacked against him. He publicly announces the goal to hold himself accountable. Do you have short-term and long-term goals?
• The power of friendship and being surrounded by people who love you. "It takes a village." I was so inspired by his college buddies, who stepped up to take care of Chris when he returned to college in his wheelchair. The selfless actions of those college-aged boys were so inspiring. I am certain that Chris' recovery would not have been as successful without the support of his friends (and later his fiancee). Have you built your tribe around you?
• When life gets you down, you need to get up again. "We all have the capability of standing up again. Stronger than ever" says Chris in the movie. He certainly stands up to the obstacles he's facing. In fact, when one doctor tells him that he will never walk again (or even feel his toes), Chris decides to "prove the doctor wrong." So if you have nay-sayers in your life, be sure to prove them wrong!

Best,

Christine

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