Overcoming Fear: the Path to Courage and Personal Triumph

Facing the Roller Coaster of Fear

Accomplishments an individual achieves create memories and a newfound aspiration to fulfill many more goals. Fear is something everyone feels at a certain point in time. At a point in time, not too long ago, a fear consumed me, which would cause my hands to shake and my body to break out in a cold sweat. On July 20, the summer of 2018, I experienced these exact reactions as I waited speechless for take-off on the Hulk rollercoaster ride in Islands of Adventure.

Three simple words helped me conquer this, “Live without fear,” something my uncle always used to say to me.

Conquering the Uncharted Territory of Thrill Rides

For most students and teens, amusement parks are places to enjoy exciting and thrill-seeking roller coasters. But being one of the few teens who will not even wait in line for one without completely going insane, I choose to pass my chances of going on them. This was until the summer of 2018 when I and my best friend got free tickets to Islands of Adventure. While at the park, my friend insisted we go on the Hulk ride, so I went along with it. As we approached the line, my hands started to tremble, my body started getting cold sweats, and I became noiseless. We got on the seats, and as soon as the staff secured the big green bar straps over my head. I started getting all these different emotions of excitement, anxiety, and fear. I closed my eyes, trying to shut off everything around me as well, and all I could hear in the vast silence were the words “ live without fear,” the words my uncle would always use to tell me. This had me at more ease than before. The Hulk ride was about to commence in three…two…one. We launched out of the tunnel at an accelerating speed, heading to one loop after the other. All I did was scream and feel the pure bliss of the wind against my face as I realized I was no longer scared of riding. Instead, I realized how glad I was to experience such an exhilarating and exciting moment.

The Lesson of Overcoming Fear

I might as well learn to overcome fear now rather than avoid it again and again, only to deal with it eventually. In this world, there will be new opportunities that might be scary, maybe even petrifying, but I have learned to confront them. That’s what I learned about conquering my fears; I had to first ride on the roller coaster to realize how enjoyable it actually was. This world can throw many obstacles my way, but I have now learned that I must see past them and transcend them.

From Fear to Courage: A Personal and Academic Transformation

I now know that fear vanishes when I no longer worry about it, and the only way to not worry about it is to push through. Something I learned from this experience is that I was no longer fearful; instead, I became courageous. In fact, this has helped me as a person as well as a student. In school, sometimes we were put in situations where we had to deal with fighting and scary things such as presentations. After all that has happened, like overcoming my fear of roller coasters, I now perceive things differently. For example, things like presentations are just another small obstacle that I face, although a while ago, I thought it was a big deal. I'm now willing to surpass whatever is put in front of me, and I do it because I have learned to stand up against the odds without flinching.

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