“I have been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I have never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do”
Courage is not the absence of fear but living fully despite it
There is a beautiful, quiet honesty in Georgia O'Keeffe's words. We often talk about bravery as if it is the absence of fear, a bold and fearless state of being where the heart beats steadily and the hands never shake. But this quote reminds us that true courage isn't about being fearless; it is about feeling that cold, sharp prickle of terror and choosing to move forward anyway. It is the realization that fear is a passenger in our car, but it never gets to touch the steering wheel.
In our everyday lives, fear often shows up in the smallest, most nagging ways. It is the hesitation before hitting send on an important email, the knot in your stomach before a difficult conversation, or the heavy doubt that whispers you aren't ready for a new chapter. We tend to wait for the fear to vanish before we start our adventures, but the truth is, that feeling might never fully leave. If we wait for perfect certainty, we might find ourselves standing still while the world moves beautifully around us.
I remember a time when I was preparing to share some of my very first writings with a wider audience. My feathers felt ruffled, and I was so worried about being misunderstood that I almost kept my words tucked away in a tiny, safe drawer. Every time I thought about publishing, that familiar flutter of anxiety would settle in my chest. But I realized that if I let that fear win, I would be robbing myself of the joy of connection. I decided to let the fear sit right there beside me, like a nervous little companion, while I focused on the work I loved.
When we acknowledge our fear instead of fighting it, it loses its power to paralyze us. We can learn to breathe through the tremors and recognize that our desires are much stronger than our anxieties. The goal isn't to become someone who never feels afraid, but to become someone who is much larger than their fears.
Today, I want to invite you to look at that one thing you have been putting off because of a lingering doubt. Ask yourself if you can carry that fear with you into the task, rather than letting it block the path. What is one small, brave step you can take today, even if your heart is racing?