For some of us, this can happen more often than not. For others, it’s a rare occurrence, but when it finally does come along it can be fatal. The thing that we all need to know is how to accept it, deal with it, pick ourselves up, and move on.

One thing that I have noticed, is that it is often the best of us, the ones who could have no possible reason to doubt themselves, that get hit the hardest with self-doubt. It’s the ones that we’d all consider to be amazing and self-confident that are the ones who are usually festering thoughts of not being good enough.

And you know what? It’s because of these moments of self-doubt that these people are so great. Questioning whether or not you’re good enough has an unexpected side effect, it makes you want to be better.

All these humble, amazing people walking around filled with self-doubt, are always looking to improve themselves. They’re always looking to point out what they’re not good at and then get better at it, and that’s part of what makes them such amazing people.

Self-doubt, like sadness, is one of those things we just have to have. It creates balance, it pushes us forward, and it all works to mould and shape us. So we must not let our moments of self-doubt be our demise. It’s okay to fall down, it’s okay to feel trapped by your own imagined inability. Just don’t forget how to get back up.

I find grabbing a few friends and getting them to talk you up can always be a nice boost for your self-esteem. Just don’t go doing it too often, your ego really can inflate your head a little bit.

Jason O’Neil.

This past week has been one of the most amazing weeks of my life. On Monday Morning I walked into NSW Parliament House for the first time, and then the Legislative Council, and then the Legislative Assembly. Spectacular. The oldest place of parliamentary democracy in our nation. And to think, I’d be speaking in this “bear pit” for the people of my electorate, for the youth of Australia, and for my people.

Tuesday was the day. The Aboriginal Affairs Bill was up first, and Premier Barry O’Farrell was acting as the Speaker. Okay, that’s not too bad. Barry O’Farrell’s just a normal guy. Heck, you’ve even exchanged tweets with him. You’re fine. But wait, what’re you talking on? Who are you talking for? Oh man. You know you always get a sick feeling in your stomach whenever you do the Welcome to Country, because you think it’s important and you don’t want to dishonour it with a mistake. But nobody will notice anyway, not many of them would ever know enough Wiradjuri to pick up on it. But here, you’re speaking English. And you’re not speaking a welcome, you’re standing up for your bill and your people. Okay, it’s your turn. Once she’s done speaking. That’s it, stand up. “Mr. Speaker”, nice and loud. Good. Now speak. No, no, no! Don’t read it, speak it! Ah, damn. Wait, here’s your chance to make up for it. The floor’s open, someone else is about to finish. Seek the call. Speak!

That’s what our parliamentary system is all about. Standing and speaking for something, for someone, is quite an experience. Especially so in the NSW Legislative Assembly. Not many people in this world ever have the opportunity to represent people and even fewer get to deliver speeches in the bear pit. One of amazing things about Youth Parliament is that it takes young people from all around the state and gives them the opportunity to stand in our lower house and speak their mind on issues while representing their electorate and youth in general.

The effect that this has on such already amazing young people is incredible. The passion of these diverse young people, from different places, with different ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, as they all combine to debate issues such as euthanasia, mandatory detention for asylum seekers and commercialising surrogacy to name a few, is astonishing! The energy that went into all the eloquently delivered arguments sent this excitable atmosphere radiating throughout the entire chamber.

Youth Parliament changes lives. Many current and former YPs were testaments to that during the week, with many a tear shed over speeches describing the growth, new confidence and friendship fostered throughout the program. When you take dozens of diverse, intelligent and passionate young people who are all eager to express their views and ideas from all around the state and throw them together, stuff goes down.

Friendships are formed, minds are opened, new wonders are experienced, and lives are changed. Youth Parliament has turned my burning flame to stand up for what I believe in, to help & represent people to improve this world as much as possible into a blazing bonfire. It’s also shown me that there are many more young people out there with similar desires as me than I could have imagined. And they’re all so very different. When living in a country town with a population of 10,000 you’re only exposed to a very limited cross-section of this nation’s population. Youth Parliament threw me right into the heart of Sydney and exposed me to all sorts of different viewpoints and ideals, allowing me to better understand people and why they think what they think.

Youth Parliament is all about people. It’s about taking some of the brightest young people from around the state and enabling them, investing in them and allowing them to grow. It’s about giving the quiet a voice, giving the shy some confidence, encouraging young people to get up and speak up. Youth Parliament changes lives, and it could change yours.

Jason O’Neil.

Find Out More About the YMCA NSW Youth Parliament:

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People are like sponges. We just soak everything up. If we’re surrounded by hurtful words and seclusion, that’s what we’ll absorb. If we get told we’re worthless often enough, we’ll start believing it. Bullying ruins lives. Bullying ends lives.

Bullying can be as easy as throwing a couple of words someone’s way. Words have spectacular power. They can drastically impact a person’s entire day, or even their life. You can never be sure what kind of effect words you say can have on another person.

You don’t even have to mean it to bully someone. You might not even call them something, you could just be making comments on what they do and how they do it. You may not even use words at all. Ignoring someone, excluding them from your group, from your conversation. does damage.

We’re all in this together. Governments and nations aren’t formed for corporations, ideas or economies. Everything exists for people. People are all that matters. More than money, more than petty arguments, more than feeling good about ourselves.

But we all know that, right? So, what’s in the way? Is it a societal thing? Is it poor parenting, or lack of proper education? What can we really do to stop it? Probably nothing.

But what we can do, is make damn sure that we don’t play a part in it. We can make sure that we treat people kindly, that we speak happiness and encouragement into their lives. We can tap our friends on the shoulder when they’re saying things that might be hurting someone. We can stand up for someone when they need it.

Far too often, people ask the question “What’s everyone else doing about it?” instead of, “What can I do, right now, to improve it?”.

One of the reasons I’m writing about this now, is because of the short film I created with friends for an English Assessment Tasked which involves bullying and the potential consequences. I’ll leave you with it now:

Jason O’Neil.

Although they may not have the experience of their elders, although they may have only been on this planet for what may seem like the blink of an eye, young people do have ideas, and good ones at that. They also have their own specific issues, that have never been faced by any other generation before mine, and the one coming into the world even more recently.

Young people everywhere have something to offer now, today. So why are they segregated into education institutions? Why are they, for the most part, ignored by wider society? I salute the efforts of all organisations and governments to further consult and involve the youth of today, but we still need more!

Young people have something that many others who have been around for longer don’t: fresh eyes. They think completely different to everyone else, they have different solutions and different priorities. And, they’re more than willing to offer these ideas up. You’ve just got to chase them. Most of them are not going to walk around looking for opportunities to share their ideas and perspective on things. They’ve got school, sport, friends and TV to worry about.

If society would like to benefit from the innovative thinking and views of its young people, it has to approach the youth at the youth’s convenience and ask them. Sure, there are a minority of inspired young people who will go out looking for somewhere to share their ideas, but if we only listen to those few we completely miss out on the ideas of the majority.

Although they may not show it, young people take a great interest in the world around them. And they do think about the issues when they hear about them. Perhaps it’s young people who should be being consulted on issues such as climate change and population growth? After all, it’s them who will have to deal with the consequences of their elders’ decisions.

It has been over a month since my last blog post, and for that I apologise. I was lacking in inspiration, or determination, one of the two. I should be posting on a regular basis again now.

Jason O’Neil

To fill in the gap between blog posts, I thought I’d share this short story I wrote for Extension English. It’s a Gothic text, so it’s meant to be a little odd. Enjoy!

I frantically rustled through my wardrobe. He’ll be here soon. I picked out the lingerie he likes best, the frills brushing through my fingers, fading as fast as the hope I had that he wouldn’t come – again. As I slowly slid down the lace netting to barely cover what little dignity I had left, the lock rattled.

The door creaked open, and his big, broad silhouette came into view.  Even that was enough to strike fear deep into my soul. Although I was standing right by the fireplace, its strong blaze sending warmth all throughout the room, I felt as cold as the barren trees plotted outside the mansion, suffering through the layer of snow planted on them much earlier.

In he stepped, his giant boots sending ghastly murmurs echoing through the bedroom as they collided with the floorboards below. He grunted as he planted himself in his armchair. Like a machine I knelt down at his feet and removed his boots and thick work socks.

Up he stood, and as he undid the buttons on his pants he just looked at me and said, “No squealing this time.” This routine was rough and cliché, and each time he would leave a new scar. My innocence being beaten out of me as his body’s evil desires were satisfied in acts against my will.

As he threw me onto the bed I closed my eyes and just hoped that he would be quick this time. I didn’t open them again until long after he was finished and I was sure he was asleep. I slid off the bed and put on my slippers. The less noise I made, the better. I slowly sneaked through the shadow-ridden halls.

Every time a floorboard creaked I cringed at my carelessness, and paused for what would feel like a lifetime as I waited in fear for him to awake and beat me out of blind anger. Finally, I arrived in the library. Its large, towering bookcases were the one place I could find refuge.

I browsed through the shelves where the books were the oldest of the old. One book in particular caught my eye. I pulled it out, disturbing the thick layer of dust that must have been built up over several years at least. I blew all of the dust off, although I soon regretted it.

After a violent sneezing fit I sat on the couch nearest one of the candles hanging from the wall, its light combining with that of the other candles to cast shadows in every direction.  I began to read, slowly and carefully.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light and it was good…

So, this God guy created everything? Everyone? Even him… What does this mean? Confused, and intimidated by the size of The Bible, I flipped through to a random page and read, and read, and read some more.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you…

Deep into the night I read, and as I did, my fear disappeared. Someone loves me, someone really loves me. And they want me to be happy, and to live a good life. Maybe there’s some hope for me yet.

I sat up and reluctantly returned The Bible to its place, and travelled back to the bedroom as quietly as I had left it. I crept my way in, my heart skipping a beat as he rolled over, grunting loudly. After reassuring myself that he was still asleep, I slowly sat down on the bed with a sigh of relief.

Removing my slippers, I slid back into bed and lay there in silence. Not a sound ran through the entire mansion, in all of its vastness. But, in my mind, a million voices were all screaming at once. I finally drifted off to sleep. After many months of sleepless nights, I had quickly learnt to adapt to my fears. I slept, or I was too tired to serve him properly and would be beaten.

As morning’s light slowly shone through my window onto my face, I awoke. The other half of the bed was cold and lacked his presence yet warmth surrounded me over the absence of my nightmare. I left my bed and went to the wardrobe. I shifted through my many clothes, my many dresses. All of them, chosen just to please him.

I removed my lingerie, now ruffled and dirty, and quickly showered. If it were up to me, I would have stayed in the shower, with its hot, steamy water washing away the filth of what occurred the night before, forever. But he doesn’t like it when I shower for too long. So, still feeling worthless and dirty, I adorned one of my longer dresses, its black cloth dropping down to just above my knees. I made sure my hair was perfect, long and brunette; it curled down onto my shoulders. Just the way he likes it. I put on my make up to bring some sense of happiness to my distraught face. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t conceal my fear and sadness.

With nothing more for me to do, no more excuses for me to stay out of his presence, I put on an uncomfortable yet attractive pair of high heels and began walking. Out of the bedroom, and down the long, tall hallway. The triangular window up high in the wall at the hallway’s end sent rays of sunlight shining through, illuminating the many portraits hanging on the dark red walls. They showed all those who came before him, his lineage.

As I slowly walked down the hallway, I wished more and more that it would go on forever. I wished that I might never reach my destination, that I could just be trapped here in purgatory, forever walking.

Sadly, the hallway’s end grew nearer and nearer. I turned into the dining room, and there he was at the table. In suit and tie he sat, eating his breakfast. He looked up as I entered the room, his clean-shaven face beamed at the sight of me, and his blue eyes widened.

He stood up, “Good morning, beautiful. Come have a seat, we’re having bacon and scrambled eggs, your favourite! How’d you sleep?” he asked, as he pulled out the empty chair next to him.

Nervously, I made my way to sit down. “Good morning! I slept really well; it was great… just like this breakfast! It smells delicious!”

“That’s fantastic. Well, dig in!”

Slowly, I ate my breakfast. With every bite I was worried that I might do something wrong. I might have taken too much, or chewed too loudly.

Hours passed. Or maybe it was days. Finally, he finished eating. Placing his knife and fork on his plate, he turned to me and said, “Well that was delightful! Oh, look at the time. I’d best be off to work, I don’t want to keep the Japanese waiting!” As he stood up, he kissed me, “I’ll probably be back in around nine hours or so. Don’t have too much fun without me! I love you.”

Resisting the urge to spit out his vile saliva and scull litres of water, I managed to blurt out, “I love you too! Miss you!” back at him.

I watched through the corner of my eye as he walked outside through the large double-doors. When I heard his helicopter start up, I got out of my chair and walked to the doors. I opened them slowly, and peered out, watching as he took off.

Away he flew, beyond the rocky mountains which glistened as the morning sun shined on the thin layers of dew and snow which built up over night. A cool breeze gusted straight into my face and up my dress, but it did not bother me. In fact, it was the least of my concerns.

I spun around, shutting the doors behind me. I took the dirty plates and cutlery and quickly washed them, half my breakfast still remaining on my plate. Then, off I went.

My high heels clicked against the floor as I hurriedly walked down the hallway and into the library – my refuge. I grabbed The Bible and sat. Anxiety, excitement, I had it all. Finally, with great anticipation, I read on…

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…

Warmth. So much warmth.  God can save me from him, God will take away all of my pain. He said so, he said all I have to do is ask for it, and believe.

Oh, the time! It’s almost dark already, I have been reading for too long. I rushed to the bookcase and returned The Bible, I’ll be reading it again soon, no doubt.

I ran out into the hallway and began lighting all of the candles. One by one I lit them, knowing all too well that with every new wick that I put against that lamp’s flame, with every new candle that caught alight, he was getting closer and closer.

Finished. The sun, slowly creeping away below the horizon, immediately set the mood. All the vast empty rooms in the mansion, filled with his worthless valuables, happily stepped back into their comfortable shoes. Their candles made all his possessions glisten with beauty, and cast long, ugly shadows in their wake.

Tik Ka Tik. Tik Ka Tik. Tik Ka Tik. The sounds of his horse, galloping up the pavement echoed all through the mansion. Until finally – they stopped. He’s here now.

Reluctantly, I went into the dining room and sat. The doors slammed open, sending with them a freezing cold breeze which rocked me to my core. In he stepped, his keys rattling on his leather belt after every violent step he took.

Closer and closer he comes: a step – another step – more. Until finally… he stood right over me – his shadow consumed me completely. My heart began pounding faster, and faster, pounding as hard as he had pounded me in the past.

“Oi wench, how was ya day?”

I felt a little calmer. Maybe tonight’s the night he does nothing. I turned around and looked at his rough, unshaved beard. I didn’t dare look at him in the eyes. Still, wavering with fear, I humoured my tormentor, “It was pretty good. I missed you, though!”

“Oh I bet ya did. I go out and work hard and rough everyday so that you can sit here in ya fancy clothes in this big fancy mansion, the least ya can do is show me some damn gratitude!” he shouted at me, over the loud, terrifying cracks of lightning, striking outside.

With that, he quickly raised his hand over his left shoulder and, before I knew it, it came crashing down, hitting me across my right cheek with such force that I was thrown onto the ground – chair and all.

As I laid there, motionless, I cradled my throbbing cheek. Even with the numbing effect of regular beatings, I could still feel the sharp sting of his hand. An eternity passed, and I just laid there, listening to his every breath.

Eventually, he walked away, and I was safe – for now. Still motionless, I prayed. I prayed for no more beatings, no more rape, no more fear, no more hurt. I prayed for safety from my tormentor, safety from this evil giant.

But then, he was back. He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me out of the dining room, and down the hallway. I counted the candles as they went past, fighting the urge to scream. But I couldn’t hold back the tears.

When we made it to the bedroom, he lifted me up and threw me violently onto the bed. And again, he walked away. There on the bed, vulnerable, beaten, I waited. My tears dropped down onto the bed, sinking into the bed sheets.

I began to think that my prayer had been answered, and that he would never return. But then he did. He came in, slowly, wavering from side to side. He crept up the end of the bed, and I could smell him. He was vile, reeking of a combination of dirt, sweat and whiskey. Repulsed, and afraid, I closed my eyes.

I waited nervously as he crawled over me. Closer and closer he came. My heart worked faster and faster, as my fear grew deeper and deeper. As he was almost right on top of me, my fear calmed and was replaced with something else – with strength, with confidence.

I opened my eyes, and I stared into his. Like a fire this feeling, this strength, built and built inside of me, fighting to get out.

I opened my mouth, and I shouted, with all of my voice, so loudly that it echoed all through the mansion and into the world outside, “Be gone! In the name of Jesus, be gone! Take your evil and be no more! Leave me!”

My alarm clock beeped, and the sounds of car engines, beeping horns and sirens, all the noise of New York City, came rushing into my ears. I awoke, and flung up in my bed, “Holy crap.”

Jason O’Neil

Legacy - something for mum to pass on to her grand-daughter.

It’s because of my mum and dad that I work so hard, it’s because of them that I say please and thank you, it’s because of them that I care about people. They shared their stories with me, of all their mistakes and triumphs. They didn’t try and pretend that certain “bad” things didn’t exist, instead they told me all about them and all that comes from them. And for that I am eternally grateful.

My parents owned a video store for most of my life, and from that stems my passion for films & television shows. I remember a lot from that store, and could probably still hire someone out a movie if you asked me to.

One thing that deserves a mention all in itself, is science fiction. Just introducing that is reason enough for me to love my parents eternally. It’s where I got a whole chunk of my ideals from, especially my whole utopian world view which always seems to stop me from comprehending all this hate & greed in the world. Stargate will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve never not had Stargate in my life.

A common O'Neil family discussion. Click for full conversation.

My brothers: Mike, Andrew, Daniel and T3, I love them all. Mike’s the quieter, kind-hearted one who’s going to do a whole lot of good out in the world. Andrew’s loud, fearless and passionate, I pity anyone who gets in his way. Daniel’s my angel in heaven, my brother that would have been as amazing as the rest, and shall be forever loved. T3 (Tiger the 3rd), he’s been around for almost half my life now and I love him to death. He’s cheeky, caring and beautiful.

My grandparents: the Dewars of Peak Hill and the O’Neils of Bathurst. Unfortunately I never met Pop O’Neil, the merchant navy man who jumped ship to come to Australia, but his name shall forever be the centre of mine: Jason Edward O’Neil. I don’t have very memories of Nan O’Neil, but the ones I do are vivid images of her home and of a loving grandmother, one who raised some beautiful children. Pop Dewar was a kind, loving man who I have lots of great memories of, clouded by more recent memories of sickness, I miss him. Nan Dewar is a loving woman, her house was built by her father and filled with so many memories. I love her, and want her back.

My aunts and uncles, from beautiful Cathy and Bob the Builder to Tania and the scarily tall Bernard, all of them and their partners have left wonderful lessons and memories implanted in my brains. But there have been some not-so-wonderful memories mixed in there as well, as per Bernard’s lovely motorbike accident not long ago, resulting in some very worrisome memory loss for a while there.

Oh, the cousins! The many, many cousins! The ones on the Dewar side are all marrying and having children lately, so many beautiful babies to keep track of!

I spent much of my childhood around my parent’s friends: Hetho, Ben, Greg, Mum, Corco, Critty, Dermo and more! They all undoubtedly left their mark on me, which mum likes to point to as the source of my cheekiness. Many of them are like an extension of the family, people I can always turn to in need.

I’ve been very fortunate to have such great loving support and influence in my life. They taught me love, humour, kindness, compassion, pride, right and wrong, and for that they deserve tribute.

On March 27th, I wrote:

Some leader I am. I’m just mediocre. I can’t get through anything and here I am wallowing in self-pity.

I was filled with self-doubt, weighed down by everything I had to work on and get done. From school work, to Wiradjuri, to TAFE Work, and even maintaining friendships. I looked at it all as one big giant pile of work that I had barely scratched the surface on, and I felt insufficient. Since then, that big pile of work has gotten taller, but I’m doing fine. I came to my senses, and saw it instead as a collection of much smaller piles, all of which I am working through, bit by bit.

Sometimes its really hard for us to keep in mind how truly amazing every single one of us are. We were born amazing, and we stay that way until the very end. With the right inspiration, we can all do anything.

Another thing we often forget, is how loved we really are. Whether we fully realise it or not, we are surrounded by love. The love of our friends, the love our family, the love of our pets, the love of our God.

Far too often, although we might be surrounded by amazing friends and amazing family, we sometimes feel cut off from that love. We don’t love ourselves and so we feel like no one else could possibly love us, or even like us. The thing is, that most of the time, that love didn’t go anywhere. It’s still there. The only thing that changed, was us.

Those feelings of self-doubt, of not being good enough, they close the doors that let love flow on through. We convince ourselves that we’re not loved, and so we feel that way. And I don’t think there’s anything we can really do to stop those feelings altogether.

But what we can do is remember that love, that past confidence, and realise that we’re not supposed to feel down and worthless. Although we might not feel great at that moment, we have in the past and there’s no reason we can’t feel that way again. We’ve just got to open up those doors, and let the love pour back on in. We just can’t allow those down moments, those moments of self-doubt, to be the defining points of our lives.

I know it’s especially hard for teenagers to get really involved with anything because they don’t want to stand out. They don’t want to be the person who does more than they have to and gets noticed for it by everyone else. Why volunteer for a school committee or team if there’s no reason to? It’d only lead to their friends saying, “Why’re you doing that? That’s just a stupid waste of time.”

The reality is, we all only have one, very short lifetime on Earth. We cannot waste it only doing what we have to and worrying about being the odd one out. If we have an interest in something and think we might be able to do some good through it, then we should pursue it!

Now that doesn’t mean that you should all go out and start volunteering for every organisation or club out there, as awesome a thing as that would be. It just means that if you’re offered an opportunity to do something new, gaining new experiences and possibly doing things for a good cause, then why not do it?

One of my problems, is that I’m trying to do too much with my life. I’ve always got some kind of work I could be doing for something. It’s a lot to balance. But I’d rather be putting in that extra bit of effort to do as much as I can than coast through doing nothing that I don’t have to.

Other kids at school may look at me and ask, “Why do that? It’s just a bunch of extra work for no reason”, but the fact is that I do it because I feel compelled to. A lot of people don’t realise how much opportunity is out there available to them through their youth, and how quickly those opportunities disappear as they grow older. I want to take full advantage of these years of my life, and all the years that will follow.

As one of my good friends has said to me, although many of us may think otherwise, our high school years aren’t just a “practice run” to get us ready for real life. Real life is now. It’s been happening this whole time. We don’t need to wait until we’re outside of school to make something of ourselves, we can do it right this very moment, right this very day. In fact, with so many opportunities available to us, these are probably some of the best years to do so!

So please, go forth and break that “lazy generation” label we’ve been slapped with. I mean, why not? At worst you’ll have had some new experiences. If all goes well, you’ll look awesome.

Would we mention the leaders we listen to the most? Would we mention the leaders who have the biggest impact on our day-to-day lives? Would we mention the leaders who have the most power over us? Or, we would mention the leaders that inspire us, that uplift us, that make us want to do more and be better than we are already? I think I can safely say that we would all mention the latter.

A leader shouldn’t just instruct, or represent, they should lead. They should encourage people to give life their all, to reach their dreams, to stand up for what they believe in. Leaders should recognise people for their worth, and create opportunities for those people to blossom.

A true leader will make people go out and be leaders themselves, while still wanting to follow them. A true leader isn’t afraid to place themselves on the line for the people they lead. A true leader takes all of the blame, and takes credit for none of the success.

So how many true leaders are there out there? Unfortunately, I’d say it’d be very hard to find one in government these days. You’re more likely to find true leaders in businesses, non-profit organisations, out campaigning and advocating, doing all they can to make a difference. It seems we’re not really electing true leaders to represent us these days. It’s a shame, but a reality.

A true leader doesn’t have to lead millions, or thousands, or even hundreds. A true leader could inspire and uplift only a handful of people and still better fit the criteria than the CEO of a multi-national company. They could be someone at your school, someone in your community

How many true leaders do you know? I believe that we all have the potential to be a leader, but not many of us take the plunge into true leadership. Do any of the leaders that you have in your life make you want to do more? Do they make you want to be a leader to other people?

Even if we don’t see ourselves as a leader, it doesn’t mean that we can’t exhibit leader-like qualities. Why not go out there and encourage people? Not just your friends, but strangers, too. Maybe you know someone who has a hidden talent but most people avoid them or look down on them. Why not embrace them? Why not inspire them to grab a hold of what talent they’ve got in life and use it to lift themselves up?

We can all be a leader in our own right, so why not go out there and do it? We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Jason O’Neil.

I don’t have that fear any more, I’ve completely overcome it. Some people might fear connecting with people, and isolate themselves. Some people might fear failure, and so they never try. We need to keep in our minds, that the only reason we have fear is to protect us. When men went out hunting and came to a giant drop-off, it was fear that kept them from walking right off. But when our fears aren’t protecting us, but instead limiting us in what we can do, it’s then that we need to take a good hard look at them.

The human mind is incredible. The amount of things that it can deal with is absolutely astonishing. People do have the power to overcome their fears. In fact, people have the power to do almost anything they set their minds on, that’s one of the most amazing things about us. It’s the reason we’re living longer than ever and have stepped foot on the moon.

Never has man just settled for what its body could allow us to do. When we wanted to travel around the world in hours, but our body would only let us walk, we built planes. When we wanted to lift up those big boxes but they were just too heavy, we built forklifts. Where our body stops, our mind and imagination excels.

In the same way, you shouldn’t let your body or sub-conscious stop you, or limit your living. Use that remarkably powerful super-computer you have sitting inside your skull. Don’t settle with what you’re stuck with right now, work for more.

Whether it be a fear of putting yourself out there, or talking to new people, or even wearing those nice pink shoes you recently bought, if you know it’s holding you back, if you know it’s limiting your growth as a person – kick it to the kerb.

You are amazing, and like all those who have come before you, you have remarkable potential. Don’t be afraid to use the tools you were blessed with to grow and experience. Fear is good, yes. But don’t ever let it, or anything else, stop you from reaching your full potential.

Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.

Jason O’Neil