Facing Fear

 F.E.A.R stands for False Evidence Appearing Real!

In January of 2011, I was teaching a martial arts class and I was teaching the students the lesson on facing your fears! I explained to them that what we think is scary really isn't. A lot of times it's our own awfulizing of a situation or object can make our fears intensified. When you focus on what you want or focus on something positive, it can help you overcome your fears and change your attitude of what you were afraid to do.

One student asked me what my fear was. I had to think because I apply this lesson so much, most of the things I am afraid of I tackle and conquer. So the first thing that came to my mind was my eyes. At the time I was still wearing glasses and said I would NEVER wear contacts! I was a big baby when it came to my eyes. I would freak out when someone touched their eyes, I couldn't do eye drops to save my life, the thought of even touching my eyes skived me. I was afraid of touching my eyes!

Well of course how do you really get a lesson to hit home to your students? You do it yourself. So always being the one to hold myself accountable, I decided that I was going to convert to wearing contacts. After all, I knew I'd like it better. When working out, I wouldn't have to worry about sweat dripping on them, I could drive and watch TV without them, I could teach a class without them, and I could take pictures without wearing them, and I always took my glasses off for pictures, liking myself a lot more without them. But I had to tackle that BIG fear of eye touching...ICK!

SO I went to the eye doctor and she did the exam and got my prescription contacts. I was there for 45 minutes total. I DID NOT leave the office with the contacts in my eyes. I remember Briana, Robert's sister, when she got contacts. She had such a hard time but she persevered and I kept thinking of her when I tried putting mine in. Those two weeks she was my hero because she was able to do it and I was not succeeding! I sat in front of my HUGE mirror at my school and for an hour and a half, I tried getting the right side contact in. I would get worked up, walked away for a few seconds, got tears of frustration, then finally I said to myself "You've been through eight Black Belt tests! You can DO THIS!" Well I jumped for joy when I got the right side in! I couldn't believe it! Then it took 45 minutes to get the left in.

The first two weeks I had EVERY experience you can imagine! Putting two contacts in the same eye, contacts falling out while I was driving, contacts put in backwards, the contact moving behind the eye, OY! But after that first two weeks, I was good. Taking out-- EASY! Putting in, sometimes I still struggle but I've been wearing contacts happily for one year and three months. And I absolutely LOVE wearing them!

Well I have a student who told me she did not want to wear contacts and was also afraid of touching her eyes. She always wore her glasses and was very happy doing so. Quite a few weeks ago, I was relaying this story of my contacts to a class she was in. Well two weeks ago she told me she was going to go ahead and try wearing contacts. Well I couldn't be happier! She is a beautiful young lady with or without glasses, but as an instructor, to have a student take on the lesson of facing your fear and going out of your comfort level as a high yellow belt is absolutely thrilling for me! I couldn't have been happier and I couldn't have been prouder for her! Well done Jenna!

Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO