Speaker 1: Welcome back to the show. Today's episode is about something powerful,
Speaker 1: something that quietly shapes the size of your dreams, your business,
Speaker 1: and even your sense of self. It's the fear of
Speaker 1: going bigger, that invisible wall that whispers you're not ready yet,
Speaker 1: that hesitation that says what if you fail? What if
Speaker 1: they laugh? What if it's too much? But here's the truth.
Speaker 1: The real danger isn't failing, it's staying the same. Because
Speaker 1: comfort zones feel safe, but they slowly shrink your potential.
Speaker 1: So today we're going to unpack what that fear really is,
Speaker 1: why it shows up, and how to break through it
Speaker 1: once and for all. Let's start with the psychology. Our
Speaker 1: brains are wired for safety, not success. When you think
Speaker 1: about going bigger, more visibility, more risk, more responsibility, your
Speaker 1: mind automatically flags it as danger. It's not personal, it's biology.
Speaker 1: Think back to the first time you stepped outside your
Speaker 1: comfort zone. Maybe your first big presentation, your first business idea,
Speaker 1: your first creative project. Remember that tightness in your stomach
Speaker 1: That wasn't weakness, That was your nervous system learning expansion.
Speaker 1: But most people mistake that feeling for a warning to stop.
Speaker 1: They pull back play smaller and call it being realistic.
Speaker 1: Here's the secret. Growth and fear are twin siblings. Wherever
Speaker 1: there's expansion, fear will show up first. But it's not
Speaker 1: a stop sign. It's an invitation. Let's redefine big. Big
Speaker 1: doesn't always mean flashy. It doesn't mean more followers, more money,
Speaker 1: or more fame. It means more aligned, more courageous, more capable.
Speaker 1: Going bigger might look like launching a product even when
Speaker 1: it's not perfect, asking for the promotion you deserve. Finally
Speaker 1: calling yourself an artist, entrepreneur, or creator out loud, expanding
Speaker 1: your impact beyond what's comfortable. It's not about ego, it's
Speaker 1: about capacity. Every time you expand, you train your mind
Speaker 1: to hold more responsibility, more visibility, more opportunity. Big is
Speaker 1: not the enemy. It's simply the next version of your
Speaker 1: truth asking to be lived. Here's where fear gets tricky.
Speaker 1: It rarely says don't do it. It usually says wait
Speaker 1: until it's perfect, or learn a little more first, or
Speaker 1: now's not the right time. Sound familiar. Perfectionism, procrastination, and
Speaker 1: over preparation. They're all elegant disguises for fear. They sound rational,
Speaker 1: but they're really just self protection mechanisms. So the next
Speaker 1: time you catch yourself stalling, ask am I preparing? Or
Speaker 1: am I hiding? And here's the hard truth. The fear
Speaker 1: of going bigger isn't fear of failure. It's fear of visibility.
Speaker 1: It's fear of being seen trying because once you're visible,
Speaker 1: people can judge. But remember, the ones who judge aren't
Speaker 1: the ones who are building builders, build critics. Watch, let's
Speaker 1: talk about what happens when you don't go bigger. You
Speaker 1: might think you're staying safe, but really you're trading possibility
Speaker 1: for predictability. You end up repeating a life you've already outgrown,
Speaker 1: and deep down you know it. The cost isn't just
Speaker 1: lost opportunity. It's regret. Regret for the risks you didn't take,
Speaker 1: Regret for the version of yourself you never met. Playing
Speaker 1: small may protect your ego, but it limits your future.
Speaker 1: It's like trying to fit an ocean into a glass
Speaker 1: you weren't built to stay contained. Here's the good news.
Speaker 1: Courage isn't a personality trait. It's a muscle. The more
Speaker 1: you use it, the stronger it gets. Start with micro expansions.
Speaker 1: That means doing one thing each day that makes you
Speaker 1: slightly uncomfortable. Post your work publicly, ask for feedback, speak
Speaker 1: up in a meeting, Try something that might fail. Every
Speaker 1: time you do, you teach your nervous system that growth
Speaker 1: is safe, that fear doesn't have to be avoided, it
Speaker 1: can be managed, and slowly, what once terrified you becomes
Speaker 1: your new normal. That's how you build confidence, not by thinking,
Speaker 1: but by doing. Take a moment to pause, if you're
Speaker 1: listening in your car or on a walk, just reflect quietly.
Speaker 1: Where in your life are you playing small? What dream,
Speaker 1: idea or opportunity have you been putting off because it
Speaker 1: feels too big? What would going bigger actually look like
Speaker 1: for you? Not in someone else's eyes, but in your own. Now,
Speaker 1: ask yourself, what's the worst that happens if you try,
Speaker 1: and what's the best that could happen if you succeed.
Speaker 1: Chances are the risk is smaller than your fear, but
Speaker 1: the reward is much greater than your comfort. Here are
Speaker 1: three tools to help you move forward starting today. Courage
Speaker 1: in motion, action kills anxiety. Pick one small scary step
Speaker 1: and do it today, not next week. Expand your environment.
Speaker 1: Surround yourself with people who think bigger than you. Their
Speaker 1: energy will stretch your belief in what's possible. Visualize your
Speaker 1: bigger self daily, picture the version of you who already
Speaker 1: lives that life. Confident, decisive, fearless. Start making choices as
Speaker 1: if you already were that person. Because here's the truth.
Speaker 1: You don't wait to be fearless to go bigger. You
Speaker 1: go bigger, and that's how you become fearless. So the
Speaker 1: next time fear with whispers you're not ready, smile and
Speaker 1: say maybe not, but I'm willing. You'll never eliminate fear,
Speaker 1: but you can outgrow it. That's how you break the
Speaker 1: fear of going bigger by realizing you were never small
Speaker 1: to begin with. If this episode spoke to you, share
Speaker 1: it with someone who's on the edge of expansion, because
Speaker 1: courage spreads, and when one of us goes bigger, we
Speaker 1: all rise together.