.the princess portal.

The challenge for this month was to face one of your fears, and one of mine is definitely needles. I hate having to get vaccinations and tend to faint during blood tests, the idea of anything sharp even pricking my skin upsets me. Thus I’ve never actually had my ears pierced, I always put it off as something that wasn’t necessary and seemed rather painful.

However I’ve received some lovely earrings as gifts lately and thought it would be nice to be able to wear them. My friend Steph has also never had her ears pierced and is just as much of a wimp as me so we decided to go together and bolster each other’s’s courage! First we went around to all the chemists in town to find the ones with the best studs, we were hoping for something a little more interesting like hearts or stars but there wasn’t much to choose from (I’m determined to get some cute star studs later though!) in the end we decided to go for matching pink and gold studs.

After a quick lunch we made our way to the place we had chosen. Fortunately the man there was really nice and friendly and joked around with us which did a good deal to calm my nerves. Steph went first and then it was my turn. I actually wasn’t feeling too nervous up until I had to sit down, then the fear started to come in. I tried not to look at the piercing gun, and to keep my breathing steady and talk to the man, focusing on anything but the idea of something sharp going through my earlobe! It was over quickly. I have to say that yes, it did hurt, but not very much! It was sharp and sudden like being bitten by an insect, and stung for a little while afterwards but it was definitely nothing to be afraid of.

So now I finally have pierced ears! I’m looking forward to being able to take out the studs and wear some cute earrings. I think with fears, they’re often not rational but its the way you feel not the cause that is the challenge. Its also great to have someone with you going through the same thing so you can encourage each other! How are you doing with your Princess Challenge for this month?

Joan of Arc, photo by pwbaker

I apologise for getting a little bit behind with the Princess Challenges. In case you’re wondering, there was no challenge for September as I was absent for several weeks. This month’s challenge is a bit late, but I hope you will participate all the same, its a very challenging one after all!

October 2008 Princess Challenge
(if this is your first challenge, please read the original post here)

In theme with this week’s Princess Lesson, our challenge this month is one that requires Courage. I want you to think hard about something you’re afraid of. It might be a phobia, heights, spiders, snakes, darkness or a more personal fear such as public speaking, confronting your parents about something, performing on stage or even wearing alternative fashion out of the house! Whatever you choose, you’ll have to confront and conquer this fear in some way. You can write about your experience in a journal entry or share photos of you facing your fear!

I would also like to let you know about a Livejournal Community that has been created. I know a lot of you use livejournal to record your princess challenges, so Korin thoughtfully created a community to share your posts on. You can join up over here. Please still send in your results at the end of the month though so we can share them on the challenge page. Good luck!

photo by daniel martini

Courage and bravery are not virtues that everyone naturally associates with Princesses. They are expected to be saved by some dashing Prince or Knight not to face fear themselves, right? Actually, being a Princess takes an awful lot of guts.

Being a Princess means having the courage to be true to yourself, to stand up for what you believe in, to protect others, to lead by example and to always show the world your best, no matter how difficult things get. Sometimes courage isn’t facing down wild beasts, but speaking to a room full of strangers. We may not be slaying dragons, but it can take just as much strength to stand up for who you are and what you believe in when others are judging you.

Courage is not being fearless, it is feeling afraid and facing the things you fear head on, doing them anyway. Sometimes our courage is tested by events in our life, and sometimes we must actively seek out those things we fear, rather than avoiding them, because that is how we grow and learn, faster than anything else.

I know in my life, if there is something I’m really afraid of, it will catch up with me eventually. If I try to run away from it, I’m not really living, I don’t grow, I only step backwards. The moment I turn and face it, thats when I’m really alive. They say things are never as bad as you fear, and I don’t necessarily believe that. Sometimes they’re exactly as bad as you fear, or worse, but they’re never the end of the world. Once you conquer your fear, and are able to let go of it, you realise just how strong you are.

So how do you get to that point? How do you find the courage within yourself to do what you feel you can not do? A large part of it is self confidence, being happy with who you are and knowing that whatever happens, you’re still an amazing, beautiful person. Thats not always an easy thing to achieve though, so here are a few ideas to ponder.

• You’re not alone No matter how stong we seem, all of us have fears and weaknesses. Every person you meet, even if they’re confident and wise and experienced in life will still have grey areas that they have not dealt with yet. Some of these are linked to experiences we’ve had in the past, others are unexplained phobias. Being afraid is not a bad thing, it actually shows you have room and potential to grow and people who have many fears, often have the most compassion and care. They’re timid because they care so much about what happens and the effect their actions have on others. Remember that you’re not the only one who feels fear, and if others can find courage to overcome theirs, so can you!

• The darker it is the brighter you shine. The purpose of fear is to test us. When you find something in your life that you’re scared to face, whether its moving to an unfamiliar city, learning to drive, public speaking or standing up for your decisions in the face of criticism, that fear shows just how important the situation is to you and that this is a challenge where you have the chance to pull all that brightness and beauty inside of you together and really shine. When things are at their worst, thats when our spirit really shows through, those are the moments that define who we are.

• Take little steps. Overcoming your fears is not an easy process for anyone, if it was then it wouldn’t be worthwhile. Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith, but at other times it is something we can achieve bit by bit, taking little steps to tackle something bigger. You don’t always have to jump in with both feet. Courage is often strongest when its built up over a long period of time, its hard to shake that kind of confidence.

• Acknowledge your growth Think about things you’ve done in the past, things you’ve been afraid of but went through with after all. How did you feel after you’d achieved them? Relieved? Exhilerated? Powerful? If you think about it, you can probably see what you learned from those experiences and put that knowledge to use in the future. You are probably a lot braver than you realise.

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.
Eleanor Roosevelt