I Feared...

I feared being alone
Until I learned to like Myself.

I feared failure
Until I realized that I only
Fail when I don't try.

I feared success
Until I realized
That I had to try
In order to be happy with myself.

I feared people's opinions
Until I learned that
People would have opinions
About me anyway.

I feared rejection
Until I learned to
Have faith in myself.

I feared pain
Until I learned that
It's necessary for growth.

I feared the truth
Until I saw the
Ugliness in lies.

I feared life
Until I experienced
Its Beauty.

I feared death
Until I realized that it's
Not an end, but a beginning.

I feared my destiny,
Until I realized that
I had the power to change my life.

I feared hate
Until I saw that it
Was nothing more than Ignorance.

I feared love
Until it touched my heart,
Making the darkness fade
Into endless sunny days.

I feared ridicule
Until I learned how
To laugh at myself.

I feared growing old
Until I realized that
I gained wisdom every day.

I feared the future
Until I realized that
It could no longer hurt me.

I feared the dark
Until I saw the beauty
Of the starlight.

I feared the light
Until I learned that the
Truth would give me Strength.

I feared change,
Until I saw that
Even the most beautiful butterfly
Had to undergo a metamorphosis
Before it could fly.

...just a simple poem ... by Paulo