One Positive Action

“If I wasn’t afraid I would…”:

Fear has a way of shrinking us. It whispers just loud enough to keep us second-guessing, to keep us comfortable, to keep us stuck. Most of the time, we don’t even realize it’s fear that’s holding the wheel. It hides behind “being realistic” or “waiting for the right time.” But if we’re being honest with ourselves, fear is often the thing standing between us and the life we want to be living.

There’s a simple question you can come back to when you feel that hesitation creeping in: If I wasn’t afraid, what would I do? Not what’s easiest, or safest, or guaranteed to work, but what would I actually do if fear weren’t calling the shots? The answers that come up in that moment are often the ones closest to your truth. They’re raw, sometimes uncomfortable, and usually deeply meaningful.

Fear doesn’t just disappear when you name it, but naming it gives you something solid to work with. When you get honest about what’s holding you back, you stop letting it operate in the background unchecked. You give yourself the chance to understand what’s really underneath the hesitation, without needing to jump into action right away. That kind of clarity is grounding. It gives you room to breathe, to consider, and to start showing up with a little more courage, even if it’s just one small step at a time.

So here’s the invitation: grab a notebook or open a blank page and finish this sentence five times: If I wasn’t afraid, I would… what? Move to Antarctica to photograph penguins? Try for that promotion I’m scared I’m not ready for? Don’t overthink it, don’t judge the answers. Just let them come. You might be surprised by what shows up. And even if you don’t act on them right away, you’ll walk away knowing something deeper about yourself, and that’s a form of courage, too.