Most of the time, what holds us back isn’t reality—it’s the story we tell ourselves about what might happen.
We imagine catastrophe. Embarrassment. Loss. Regret.
We overestimate the fall and underestimate our ability to land on our feet. It’s wild how often we stay in the wrong relationship, the wrong job, the wrong city—simply because we’re afraid of what could go wrong if we make a change.
Change shakes us. It makes us run through every risk, every potential judgment, every outcome we can’t control—most of which hinge more on the opinions of others than on our own truth. And because we rarely slow down to name those fears—or to name the people we’re afraid will be disappointed or disapprove—they stay vague, looming, and powerful.
But here’s what I've found to be true: the worst-case scenario is almost never as bad as I imagine.
When we take the time to actually spell out the worst case scenario—and make a plan for how we’d respond—it becomes so much more manageable. Fear lives in the shadows and shrinks in the light.
You don’t get guarantees when you take the next step. But you can have faith in your ability to recover, even if things go sideways.
And the more you walk in the direction of uncertainty and come out the other side, the more self-trust you build.
Over time, it gets easier to take the leap. To say yes. To bet on yourself.
Because you’ve proven that even if things do fall apart…you won’t.
~Nasrin
