I remember the 12 hour drive to Wake Forest University…the family car packed full with my green bath towels, Old Navy shorts and DIY Pintrest inspired dorm decor. I was anxious to start college. What if I didn’t find my friend group? What if “Work Forest” was too intense for me? What if I couldn’t handle being so far away from home? From my family? From my comfort zone? Taking a risk is never easy. It challenges us to feel and experience sensations that we have never experienced before. Here are some of my current “what ifs,” and how I plan to solve them:
*Photo from independent.co.uk.
1. Fear of Getting Hurt in Rugby
I haven’t played a contact sport since junior high. Track and Cheerleading, which I did in high school, don’t have direct contact with another team. I craved that competitive air so I joined rugby. But I am afraid to get tackled the first time. What if I get injured? I don’t want to end my rugby career so early! I think my teammates are the coolest: they are badass girls that are such a blast to talk to, and they love working hard at practice. They are the best teammates I have ever had, and I am not going to give that up so easily! So, when we have our first rugby game in the middle of November, I am going to make a pact to play 110% and to not be afraid of the possibility of getting hurt. Instead, I’m going to focus on winning every ruck. And winning the game of course!
*Photo from betcheslovethis.com.
 2. Fear of Getting Hurt Having the DTR Conversation
I have been talking and hanging out with this guy for a couple weeks. He’s funny, a bit silly, and focused on his schoolwork. I get mixed signals because when we hang out, we can talk for hours on end! But when we aren’t together… the texting conversations don’t last long. We haven’t DTR yet, and I have never had that talk before! It seems intimidating because what if he isn’t on the same page as me? What if I like him more than he likes me? What if he doesn’t want a relationship even though that’s something I would be interested in? Let’s get this straight: I’m impatient. So postponing this conversation will only drive me crazy coming up with every scenario possible. The worst thing he can say is that he’s not interested. If that’s the case, there are plenty of fish in the sea and a few weeks left in the semester to meet someone new. If he is interested… Great! Then we can move on from there. I can’t be afraid of what he might say. This is the twenty-first century! So if I want answers, you bet I can ask the questions!
We tend to come up with all these “what if” scenarios. Key word: scenario. They are just figments of our own imagination. They might happen. But on the flip side, they might not happen. And that’s the risk we have to take as humans. We just have to trust that everything will work itself out in the end the way it’s supposed to. Before we get to that end result, we need to muster up the strength to take the plunge and cast aside these hypothetical “what ifs.” As my mom always told me, “you never know unless you try!”