Begin

Some dreams feel too important to risk —

so we wait, and carry them quietly instead.

We tell ourselves we'll start when we feel more confident.

When the offering is clearer.

When the timing is better.

But whether it's work that feels more honest,

or a way of contributing that feels more like home —

the ache to begin doesn't go away.

And still — we hesitate.

It’s not that we don’t know how to begin.

It’s not that the idea isn’t good.

And it’s not that we’re too busy.

What stops us, more often than we admit,

isn’t time or skill.

It’s the fear of being seen trying — and falling short. 

Not failure itself,

but the risk of being judged in the becoming.

We give our power —

our precious, sacred power —

to others, both real and imagined.

We pause

before our creative energy can embarrass us.

Before it makes us visible.

Before it reveals that we want something.

Because wanting is vulnerable.

And visibility can feel risky.

This letter is for the part of you that still wants what it hasn’t yet reached for.

The part that sees someone else put their work into the world — and shrinks a little, thinking:

Well, now I can’t. They’re already doing it.

That shrinking is longing, looking for language.

Here’s some good news:

You don’t have to worry about them.

You were never meant to.

Let them create.

Let them falter. Let them shine.

Let them find their way — while you return to yours.

Your role is simply to stay close to your own work.

Begin where you are.

Speak the idea aloud.

Sketch the thing you’re not sure anyone will understand.

Not to impress. Not even to succeed.

But to stay connected to what’s meaningful to you.

You don’t need to be for everyone.

You’re here to do the work that's yours.

If no one ever told you —  

You are the only one with your particular blend of experience, perspective, talent, and heart. There will never be another.

More than a few necessary and beautiful things never reached us — dimmed by the imagined gaze of others.

 

So let the world spin as it will. You’ve got something to make.

 

And when you're ready, look me up. I’d love to help you bring it to life. ✦

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Pass this on to someone who walks the world a bit like you do.

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