✨ Showing Up Anyway: A Letter to the Woman Who’s Ready to Stop Shrinking ✨

gbwrn302
Jul 14
3 min read

We talk a lot about growth, grace, and becoming — but let’s talk about what stands in the way of all that: fear.

Not the kind of fear that warns you when something’s truly unsafe. I’m talking about the quieter, sneakier kind — the kind that whispers to you in the middle of the night, “Don’t try. Don’t speak up. Don’t want more.”

That fear will rob you blind if you let it. It’ll steal your time. Your energy. Your self-worth. It’ll wrap you up in excuses that sound like wisdom. And the worst part? You’ll believe it.

The Fear That Keeps You Small

Fear doesn’t always show up as panic. Sometimes, it disguises itself as “I’m just being realistic.” It tells you to stay in the job that drains you. To keep quiet when your soul is screaming to speak. To play it safe, stay polite, shrink down, and wait your turn.

But sis, this life is not a waiting room. You don’t owe the world a quieter version of yourself.

So many women — brilliant, capable, powerful women — never get to live their fullest lives because they let fear call the shots. They say “maybe next year” until decades pass. They lower their standards until they don’t recognize their reflection. They pour into everyone else and call that sacrifice — but really, it’s hiding.

And if I’m being honest? I’ve done it too. I’ve stayed small to avoid criticism. I’ve hesitated to dream out loud because what if I failed?

But here’s what I’ve learned: Growth never feels safe — but neither does regret.

Why We Let Fear Take Us So Low

We don’t end up in fear’s grip by accident. It starts small: a little doubt here, a rejection there. Then one day, we realize we’re walking around disconnected from our own voice, exhausted from trying to prove ourselves in places we were never meant to be.

meant to fit.

We internalize failure like it’s identity.
We confuse burnout with weakness. We treat survival like it’s the same as living.

But it’s not. And the deeper we let fear dig in, the harder it becomes to climb out — unless we decide that enough is enough.

How You Get Out of It?

You don’t escape fear by waiting for it to leave.
You escape by walking forward with it.
By doing the scary thing.
By risking vulnerability, even when your voice shakes.
By choosing action over avoidance.
By choosing YOU — over and over again.

Because courage isn’t loud. It’s not glamorous. It’s quiet, gritty, unpolished, and often done in private.

Courage is the moment you decide: "I’m not going to let fear write my story anymore.”

Today, I Choose to Show Up Anyway

This week, I'm venturing into unknown territory. It's not due to a lack of fear — I do feel it. However, I've spent too much time waiting to feel prepared. The reality is, being ready is an illusion.

You don’t get ready. You get started. And you figure it out one shaky step at a time.

So, I’m showing up for myself. Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s awkward. Even when the old fears start whispering again.

Because I’ve decided: my life will not be defined by what I avoided.

A Question for You, Sister:

What would your life look like if you stopped waiting?
What could you create, claim, heal, or walk away from if you stopped asking for permission to be powerful?

You don't need to have all the answers, nor do you need to have everything figured out. Simply make the decision: I will no longer shrink to survive.