My husband and I moved into our home seven years ago. Just around the corner, a half-mile from our house, is a Tae Kwon Do studio. For the first three years that we lived in the house, I routinely commented on how much I would like to take Tae Kwon Do. I noticed the studio every time I drove to the supermarket, and I kept thinking how cool it would be to sign up for classes. But I never did.

The truth is, I was afraid. It’s easy to come up with other excuses — too busy, it costs too much, I’m too old — but in reality, I was just scared. I was scared to be in a room full of strangers and look stupid. I was scared to be a beginner, scared I might hurt myself, scared I might fail. And so I talked about my dream, but I never did anything.

My incredible husband surprised me one day by bringing me a brand new uniform and a certificate for three months worth of lessons. If he hadn’t gone and signed me up, I may never have started taking classes. And, I may never have earned my black belt in Tae Kwon Do — a goal that I finally achieved last month.

If you have a dream or a goal, don’t wait for someone else to take action. Do it afraid. Whether you want to learn a new skill or start a business or dye your hair pink, if it will make you happy and can bring benefit to others around you, then DO IT. You may fumble your way through — you may even fail outright — but you may also discover a new and exciting reality that you didn’t know was possible.

You can never achieve your goals if you don’t take that first step of faith. Have faith in yourself. Trust your intuition and your abilities. Be your own greatest champion, and do it afraid. With just a little bit of courage, we can achieve great things!