Seize every day to get out and have more fun with Amanda, Onlineshoes.com’s Rehabilitated Recluse.

As the first activity in my pursuit of getting a life, I enrolled in a martial arts/self defense course. Upon signing up for the class, I was confident that it was the perfect way to start out my resolution. Not only would I be doing something I have always wanted to, I would also be learning useful skills and maybe even meeting people along the way.

However, as time went on, I couldn’t shake this overwhelming feeling of fear and self-doubt. When the first day of class finally arrived and I was packing up my gym bag, I felt my stomach turn to knots, my cheeks begin to flush, and anxiety settle in. Images of me kicking the air and falling on my backside in the front of a room full of chuckling black belts loomed in my brain. I began to question if it was even a good idea to attend or if I should just back out. And then as I was trying to decide if I should be packing or unpacking, I was reminded of the great words of Mr. Miyagi: “Okay, to lose to opponent. Not okay to lose to fear.” As his words of wisdom played over and over again, the doubt that had once weighed me down was obliterated by optimism. And so I finished packing, threw on my ASICS®, and bounded off to class. I swear I could hear “Eye of the Tiger” playing off in the distance.
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