When fear becomes your life mentor

Fear whispered, 'This will terrify you.'

I replied, 'Thank you, friend.'

Little did I know, this conversation would transform my life.

When I was a teenager, I was often limited by fear. I would be shivering in my shorts playing rugby, clutching the muddy ball on a frosty English Tuesday morning, two lads running towards me, and I'd be terrified. I took that fear as a sign.

A sign that Rugby 'wasn't my sport.' A sign that this game was to be endured and - ideally - avoided.

Rugby didn't go well for me because I took this feeling seriously. It affected my performance on the field and made me weak, miserable, and vulnerable.