This is the first page in my gift book I am creating for Maya, who graduates from high school and earned an associates degree through a dual enrollment program. As I sat and pondered what words to includes, what quotes to utilize, I wondered what could I do to make this something meaningful for her to cherish? I have a LOT of quote books, multiples on quotes by women, so I began reading and turning pages. These words from Marie Curie hit home, as I think they remind us what to focus on in life:
Nothing in life is to be feared,
– Marie Curie 1934
it is only to be understood.
Marie Curie – who died by being poisoned from the very things she studied – was a pioneer in Science and changed all of our lives forever. She never feared the side effects from polonium and radium, she spent her life trying to understand their power. She worked diligently together with her husband and discovered radioactivity. She overcame her fear by working hard and focusing on the idea of understanding
As we grow up and make changes in our life, things like going to school or starting a new job, fear seems ever present. It seems to travel with us like our underwear – always there, often unnoticed until snap it makes itself known and suddenly consumes our thoughts. And in everything we do, we have a choice. We can focus on the fear-filled, awful, unknown things that are happening to us or around us, or we can focus on gaining understanding AND move forward in wisdom. We all have the power to unarm and neutralize fear by learning and action. Do something that moves you forward, something that neutralizes the power your fear currently holds. It may be as simple as getting up and getting dressed, or as complex as finding a better job, a better boss, or an opportunity to truly utilizes our skills and talents. Action cures fear, and the path to understanding is indeed a path of action.
So my words to us – and Maya – are to face your fear and get moving. No one did anything great by sitting around and doing nothing.
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