I was holding my breath, trying to not look down.

At one end of a zip line between two mountains in the lower Himalayas, I was unsure of a lot of things. Fear was taking root in me.

Just behind me, the instructor was pushing me to let it go and literally, go! To overcome my fear and take inspiration from the views I was about to enjoy.

At nineteen years of age, not many people would be in such a scenario. But I was, and so were my other Army batchmates at the mid term camp.

As I contemplated my options, the only way forward was to go. So, I let my body loose and zipped through. Fear turned into exhilaration and by the time I touched the other end, I knew that I could do this again.

This lesson has remained with me all my life. And a mantra to use when in doubt…

This week, as I was talking to a couple of colleagues and then a friend, this theme recurred. Of deciding to let go and conquering fear to get to the other end.

I think all of us live in some or the other fear. Very few are truly fearless.

And those fears often hold us back. They cloud our judgement, make us overcautious, and reduce our chances.

Often times, it is easier to say than do. But in this case, saying makes it tougher. In our minds.

But what if we were able to always draw inspiration from the view we would uncover through the journey to the other side? What if we just let go and find for ourselves what lies beyond?

Conquering the fear factor.

We will either uncover a view not seen before, or fall flat and rise up again, never to make that same mistake. And that in itself is a win!

Here’s to unshackling ourselves and moving forward…