On Fearlessness

Dear Readers,

I'm back! It's been awhile and, after much deliberating, I've decided to return to blogging for the Patch.  This was certainly not an easy decision.  Receiving hate comments will do that to you. But after speaking to friends & family, consulting with the ADL, and many conversations with myself, I realized that I can't live in fear...especially not of hate.  There will be many people along the way that are racists or bigots or anti-semites. They live in their own hell. I'm not here to please them. I write for the people that find hope and inspiration and empowerment in my stories. And for these people, I have decided to return.

During my hiatus, there was much ado about Maria Kang, the personal trainer/mommy of 3/wife who posted the photo of herself with her 3 babies in her fitness garb showing off her killer body. The headline read, "What's Your Excuse?"  The hate mail that ensued was massive, extraordinary, as if she called everyone else in America, "fat slobs." In fact, nothing could be further from the truth...here is a woman who takes pride in her body, who works hard for what she has, makes fitness & health a priority...on top of being a mommy of 3 kids and working. Yet instead of being proud and sharing in her accomplishments, she was shamed. 

This is not a stand-alone story. So often the case that we dismiss success of our fellow "compadres." We call it luck. We knock it as if it couldn't possibly be earned. For how could that person have something we don't? So easy to dismiss hard work, diligence, passion & focus, rather than be held accountable for our own excuses and, in most cases, laziness. So easy to complain rather than take the first step.

I wrote before on the never-ending existence of haters. These people who hate & were taught to hate anything and everything that goes against their extremely small-minded point of perception. Like the saying goes, you can't rationalize with crazy: you can try to make him/her understand but most likely you'll go crazy in the process so why bother?  These are the same people that will come up with a million excuses why it won't work, why you're doing it wrong, why you shouldn't do it, and why you suck in general. The same people, in fact, that will blather on & on & on while you're too busy making life happen to be bothered listening to such nonsense.

Life is about moving forward, evolving. There will always be noise and hatred and haters. Ignore it and them. Life's too short to be worried and bothered by idiots. You can't listen to fear. These are the people that want to stop you because they won't be able to deal with change and really, your success.  That's not your problem. You're here to succeed and be the best you can be. You're here to rise to life's challenges, to live above the mediocre. "To be the change you wish to see in the world."