What are we afraid of all the time? Rejection? Failure? Being too much—or not enough?
What keeps us small?The belief that we have to earn love by being agreeable, successful, or polished. The fear that if we stop pleasing others, we’ll be abandoned. The pressure to get it perfect, to always be okay, to never fall apart.
Looking back, I can see how many opportunities I missed—not because they weren’t within reach, but because fear convinced me I wasn’t ready, or I wasn’t enough. I hesitated. I overthought. I stayed quiet when I had something to say. I stayed in relationships that didn’t truly nourish me, and I held on too long to roles that no longer fit, all because fear told me it was safer than starting over.
Instead of jumping into life, I kept running away. Not literally—but emotionally, energetically. I avoided risks, held back my truth, and talked myself out of the things I longed for most. Because staying in the known, even when it was painful, felt easier than stepping into the unknown.
But amongst all that fear, there were moments—subtle but powerful—when something inside me shifted. When I chose courage over comfort. When I let my desire for truth, growth, and freedom be stronger than my fear. Those moments weren’t always loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it was as simple as saying what I really felt. Or walking away. Or trying something new even though I didn’t feel “ready.”
Those small acts of bravery added up. I started learning that I could feel fear and still move forward. That fear might always whisper, but it doesn’t get to make my choices anymore.
I still feel it. We all do. But now, I know the difference between fear that’s trying to protect me and fear that’s trying to keep me stuck, frozen, and unable to move forward in my life.
In the Tarot, there’s a card called The Fool. He stands at the edge of a cliff, light and carefree, ready to step into the unknown. I used to think, how amazing it must be to be like him, so free, so fearless. But the truth is, he’s probably afraid too. The difference is that he doesn’t let fear stop him. His need to discover, to try, to meet a new version of himself, to step into a new chapter, that need is stronger than the fear. He is willing to meet what comes next with open arms. What drives him isn’t recklessness, it’s the deep, undeniable pull to discover what else is possible.
If you’ve been holding yourself back, waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect version of yourself to arrive, please know this: fear will always try to find a reason to stop you. But your life is too important to live according to fear.
Your life isn’t a test you should be afraid to fail. It’s a creation you get to be excited to live. Make it bold. Make it messy. But most of all, make it yours.
Because nothing, not fear, not judgment, not failure, is worth a life half-lived.
