The Fear Of Possibility - What If It All Works Out?

 In this episode, we’re diving into the quiet fear that keeps so many of us playing small — the fear of being fully seen. From self-sabotage and shrinking ourselves in moments of opportunity, to convincing ourselves that “good enough” is enough, this conversation unpacks the emotional safety of staying stagnant and why growth can feel so terrifying. 

 If you’ve ever downplayed your dreams, hesitated before taking a leap, or felt safer staying where you are instead of becoming who you know you could be, this episode will hit home.

This is your reminder that growth will always feel unfamiliar before it feels natural — and staying small may protect your comfort zone, but it can also keep you from the life you truly want. What if it all works out? 

Transcript

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Welcome. You're now listening to the Wealth Within Podcast.

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Hey y'all, welcome back to the Wealth Within Podcast. I'm your host, Lanzia, and every conversation we have here is designed to elevate your perspective and support your growth with no judgment. Have you ever been so close to a pivotal moment in your life almost like you can feel yourself expanding to try and match the size of what you know is about to take place? And as exciting as that sounds, you being on the verge of the next great thing life has to offer you, you think about backing out, or even worse, you actually do back out. Some people have the idea that they're scared of failing, but sometimes it's actually the fear of possibility. Because possibility changes things, your most familiar thoughts and habits. Possibility creates responsibility and requires identity shifts. Possibility wants to be noticed. Possibility disrupts familiar versions of ourselves. I've been positive this whole time. I haven't been in the car, and all of a sudden I just was so irritated and just under pressure, it seemed like. Number one, possibility changes your identity. So let it. Success and the possibility of it is emotionally threatening because you have to outgrow old identities, relationships change, you're you're tempted to be more visible, your responsibilities change, your fear of being perceived kicks in, and you absolutely have to start trusting yourself more deeply. If something becomes truly possible for you, you can no longer hide behind maybe one day. Taking action towards your goals like they are possible. Number two, take note of your nervous system activity. Our physical bodies hold a lot of our experiences, whether it be exciting experiences or traumatic experiences. Like using invisibility as protection, purposely not putting ourselves out there to receive those opportunities that we say that we want, staying small to avoid disappointment, or emotionally shutting down when it comes to our dreams. For some people, even hope itself feels emotionally vulnerable. Wow, that's crazy. For example, earlier, the situation with my car, when I started to think about the reason that I had this long list of things to do and the outcome possibly not working, I instantly started to think procrastinate when I actually had to start taking steps towards what I had planned and disconnecting from the idea that the outcome might even be exciting. Like, I know the reason I'm going after this goal, but when I started to feel overwhelmed with the work that I had to put in to get one step closer, I even told myself that the goal wasn't that big of a deal. That's crazy. Your nervous system may not be asking, can I do this? It may be asking, is it safe to become this version of myself to get this project done? But let me remind you, staying small does not protect you. An unregulated nervous system will have you thinking that the fantasy of an idea living in your mind is safer than actually embodying the person it becomes to live out that idea and actually start progressing in the thing that you're going after, constantly stuck in the cycle of one day hiding behind preparation just because you think you're avoiding disappointment, as if going after your own desires of your heart is an emotional risk. I mean, is it an emotional risk? These are the questions that you have to ask yourself to overcome these ideologies that have been held in your nervous system for this long. I realized I was in this cycle when I noticed I would never fully commit to myself in certain areas of life because what if I actually was good at this thing? What if it all worked out? Shrinking myself constantly when opportunities arrived, sometimes even telling myself my goals and dreams wasn't that serious, and if I didn't do it or if I didn't go after it, that what I had basically the life I had built for myself right now was just just enough, it was just good enough. I even had a lot of anxiety around the fear of people witnessing me evolve. What if I messed up? What if I did something so embarrassing that the world would never forget? Let's not even mention that the world's eyes aren't even on me yet. Staying small can really feel emotionally safer because smallness keeps the nervous system regulated and familiar, but it also keeps you stagnant. So here's how you can increase your capacity for possibility. I've learned that healing is getting in rhythm with constant expansion. Healing is practice. So everything you start, just start small. Start it in little bitty pieces. Take a small risk, give yourself a small task to show up and do to develop self-trust. Even go as far as allowing yourself to imagine the good things, the good things that sometimes you think you don't deserve and you think you haven't put enough work in to achieve. But at least allow yourself to think about it, to imagine the best version, the best day, the best career choice. It's not about forcing confidence, it's about starting to increase your capacity to hold possibility without shutting down or pushing it away, letting yourself dream without minimizing it. Start taking action before feeling fully ready. Learning emotional safety, invisibility, allowing yourself to receive support and execute so you can build evidence of the self-trust, as I just mentioned. Start to look at possibility as an invitation. You do not have to become a completely different person overnight, but start the small changes toward becoming a person who asks themselves, Am I willing to let myself become visible enough to receive the life I keep asking for? Because what if it all works out? If this conversation gave you clarity or shifted your perspective at all, share it with someone who needs it and make sure you're following the Wealth Within podcast for more. And remember to be gentle with yourself because you are always becoming.