What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?

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[ifuwerentafraid]

If I were not afraid, I would talk with my supervisor about my dissertation, ask all the questions I think are too obvious,  take in all the suggestions and  not see them as criticism or examples of my incapacity to be here. 

-- Anonymous grad school student

<<ED: GIRL NOW GO DO IT>>

[ifuwerentafraid]

If I weren't afraid, I'd make my career a jungle gym. 

--Jessica Chitkuer

[ifuwerentafraid]

--Sani

[ifuwerentafraid]

"I believe in 'looking for the lesson' in life.  I believe in sharing with others."

--DeAnna, 43, Panama City

[ifuwerentafraid]

"If I wasn't afraid, I would think less and just jump in."

--Sarah

[ifuwerentafraid]

"I'd take my son on vacation."

--Tomiko Hewitt, Montana

[ifuwerentafraid]

"I'd play the drums in the street."

"I'd become someone important in the fashion industry."

-- Angela (left), 21, from Renmin University of China, Beijing.

[ifuwerentafraid]

"If I wan't afraid, I would stop procrastinating and get on with the enormous task of starting my own tech start-up.  Great ideas don't always come from male, 20-something, computer science graduates. A 40 year old mother of three, can have a eureka moment."

[ifuwerentafraid]

"If I wasn't afraid, I would quit the job I hate and open a bully breed dog rescue. That’s my heart and soul. So many to save."

--Elizabeth

[ifuwerentafraid]

[ifuwerentafraid]

If I weren’t afraid, I would talk to the boys on my hockey team. I am the only girl on my team of fourteen, and even though I play as hard as the boys do and score, I don’t always feel like I am a part of the team. It takes the work of both sides! I know that if we just talk or are even friends, we’ll be so much better on the ice! 

--Jackie Ng, 12, Hong Kong

[ifuwerentafraid]

[ifuwerentafraid]

Congratulations to Sara for winning the mayoral race, becoming the first female mayor of Pleasant Hill! Sara not only won, but she took home 78% of the vote, like a total badass. 

Sara submitted her decision to run for mayor to our "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid" blog last month: 

"I am running for Mayor in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, which is a suburb of the capital of Iowa - Des Moines. If I get elected, I will be the first female mayor for Pleasant Hill. It has been interesting, the top two questions I get are: ‘Is your husband OK with you running?’ and ‘Do you have thick enough skin?’ No one would ever ask a man either of those questions. But I have been finding overwhelming support.”

—Sara Kurovski, Pleasant Hill, Iowa.

Read more about Sara's journey on Lean In. 

[ifuwerentafraid]

[ifuwerentafraid]

"I’ve always thought of myself as having a healthy sense of independence, borderline stubbornness. When I was 3, stubbornness exuding, I remember climbing up a huge grassy hill and my Dad asking me kindly if I needed help. My favorite response since then has been a big, fat ‘No!’ However, although I admit to doing things without my parents helicoptering over me, I realize that I have an intrinsic attachment to them, that I could never be without them. My parents and I have an amazing relationship, and they would want me to do what makes me the most happiest, even if it means being 1,000 miles away from each other.

That’s why, if I weren’t afraid, I would find a job in a different state to prove to myself that I can function without them, and they can function without me.”

--Kaitlyn B., Washington

[ifuwerentafraid]

"If I wasn’t afraid, I would stand up for myself and not worry about hurting people or friends because of it, and I wouldn’t care about being judged."

-Natalie Wallis, 22, Vancouver, WA

[ifuwerentafraid]

Gena Yun Ferrabee, 45, Austin: “I would will vow to BE my outrageous self.”

"So much intelligence, beauty, creativity, wisdom, heartfelt desire and love can be seen in all these testimonials - unleash it, women.  The world is incomplete without us."

[ifuwerentafraid]

"If I weren't afraid I wouldn't let going alone stop me from trying new things, and pursuing things I already know I love."

-Lauri

[ifuwerentafraid]

"If I was not afraid, I'd become a mother."

Rebecca, 33, Eugene, OR

[ifuwerentafraid]

"I want to be able to stay focused enough to accomplish my goals no matter how challenging they may be or how long they will take to reach. I want to be able to feel like I am worthy enough to choose a profession like Clinical Pharmacy and not let the voices of my past belittle my ambitions."