Dear friend,
You can be scared and still take action.
I think we forget that.
We always wait to feel ready, or for the fear to disappear.
We keep waiting for some external factor to make it easier.
At some point, action has to enter the picture.
Now that I think about it, I was always a bit risk-prone. Maybe even drawn to the unknown.
I remember one time I was invited to speak at an event in Shenzhen, China.
Because of visa issues, the whole trip became a mess. I was told I could get a visa on arrival, but at one of the stops, they wouldn’t let me board without one.
So there I was, sleep-deprived, stuck in transit, waiting for people in China to confirm what could even be done. Eventually, the only option was to reroute through Hong Kong and try to enter Shenzhen from there.
At the time, it felt like a huge unknown.
No sleep. No visa in hand. No certainty. Not knowing if I would cross the border. And then, if everything somehow worked out, I still had to get on stage and speak to a big audience.
Now, looking back, it doesn’t sound that dramatic.
But in that moment, it was.
And that’s the point!
Fear is always louder in the moment.
Your mind starts building scenarios, your whole body gets all tense.
Everything feels bigger than it probably is.
And then…you take one step. And another.
And suddenly you’re not just worrying anymore.
You’re no longer stuck in your head.
You’re making it happen.
I like to use the gym comparison for this.
You don’t build strength by thinking about lifting weights. You build it by doing the reps.
Please read that again.
Because it’s the same with fear.
Every time you act while feeling uncomfortable, you do a rep.
You teach your system:
I can feel this and still move.
That doesn’t mean being reckless or ignoring real danger. It means learning the difference between a true stop sign and the natural discomfort of growth.
That’s where presence helps.
Pause, breathe, and notice the fear.
And then you ask yourself:
Is this fear protecting me?
Or is it just trying to keep me familiar?
Most of the time, the thing you want is on the other side of a few uncomfortable steps.
You don’t need to feel fearless.
You just need to keep taking action.
One Line to Carry With You
Take the step. Let your nervous system catch up.
Truly yours, this moment.
Armando