FEAR: THE LIE THAT KEEPS YOU SMALL

I remember the night before my first major speaking engagement. My hands were clammy, my heart pounded like a war drum, and a voice inside my head whispered, They’ll see you’re a fraud. But it wasn’t the fear of stumbling over my words or forgetting my speech that gripped me. No—what truly terrified me was the thought that I might succeed. That I might step into a version of myself I could never retreat from. The stage lights wouldn’t just illuminate me; they would expose the raw, vulnerable truth of who I was becoming.

We’ve been sold a myth about fear. We’re told we fear failure, that we’re afraid of rejection, of falling short. But what if that’s not true? What if the real fear isn’t failure—but success?

F.E.A.R = FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL

Fear isn’t just a whisper; it’s a suffocating fog that rolls in, blurring your vision and stealing your breath. It’s the unseen hand gripping your throat before you step onto the stage of your own potential. It’s a phantom weight on your shoulders, whispering lies about your unworthiness.

We’re told we fear failure. But failure is predictable. Failure keeps us in the comfortable cycle of trying but never quite making it. What we truly fear is success—because success is disruptive. It forces us to evolve, to leave behind the version of ourselves that was easy to manage, to explain, to contain.

SUCCESS IS A CRUCIBLE

Success isn’t a trophy; it’s a furnace. It demands that you burn away the comfortable illusions, the familiar excuses, the relationships that tether you to a smaller version of yourself. It’s lonely. It’s unfamiliar. It’s the path where you must confront the shadows within—the deep-rooted beliefs that whisper stay where it’s safe.

We crave significance, yet recoil from the responsibility that comes with it. If you become successful, people will expect more from you. They will scrutinise you. They will hold you accountable. And worst of all, you will hold yourself accountable. That’s the real terror—becoming someone who can no longer hide behind mediocrity.

YOUR SUCCESS ISN’T JUST YOURS

Every time we shrink from our potential, we deny the world a piece of the solution it desperately needs. In the third sector, where voices of change matter, where advocacy shifts policy, where innovation saves lives—fear is more than a personal struggle. It is a collective one.

When we let fear dictate our actions, we silence the very voices that could shift the tide. We rob the communities we serve of the bold leadership they deserve. The impact we dream of making? It never happens—not because we weren’t capable, but because we never fully stepped into the power that was waiting for us.

FEAR THRIVES IN INACTION—SO MOVE

Fear loses its power the moment you take action. Every step forward weakens its grip. Here’s how you reclaim your power:

✅ Step into discomfort. Fear is a compass pointing you toward growth. The more resistance you feel, the more crucial the step.

✅ Find your tribe. Surround yourself with those who hold you accountable, who challenge you, who see the version of you that fear tries to bury.

✅ Embrace vulnerability. Stop waiting to be ‘ready’. Say yes before you feel prepared. Speak before you have the perfect words. Take up space before you have permission.

✅ Own your voice. When fear whispers you’re alone, remind yourself: you are part of a movement. A collective force of changemakers rewriting the rules.

YOU WERE BORN TO STAND IN THE LIGHT

You are not defined by your fears, but by the courage you summon to face them. Success is not a threat—it’s an invitation. A call to rise, to lead, to become everything you were meant to be.

The world is waiting. Not for perfection. Not for permission. But for you—fully realised, fully present, fully in your power.

Step into the light. Own your brilliance. And let the world rise to meet you.