I used to take everything seriously and in turn, I took everything personally. If I failed, it was a big deal and I had a hard time getting over it. So, to compensate, I played it safe and would only do things when I was guaranteed a fairly positive outcome. This affected nearly every area of my life, like opening myself up to new friendships, going into uncertain situations, trying new adventures…everything. I was the definition of someone who “played it safe” until I had a major pivotal moment when I was getting ready to move away from my hometown.

I don’t know if you have assumptions about cheerleading, but I certainly did; well, before I was one anyway. In college, I tried out for a hockey cheerleading team that recruited figure skaters but I had to work through some strong assumptions before I did so. I was drawn in because I wanted to skate in college but the idea of becoming a “cheerleader” made me hesitate.