Image by @brett_jordan from Unsplash
Do you have a big "but"?
No, not talking about Baby Got Back. I mean the other kind. The one that shows up right before you do something that matters.
But what if I fail? But what if I am not ready? But what if it does not work?
So, what is holding you back?
I ask because I am very good at sounding sensible. My hesitation has never looked like fear. It has looked like responsibility. Every one of those questions sounds mature, which is exactly what makes them dangerous.
A "but" is rarely a plan. It is a delay wearing a suit.
Some buts are not yours. Years ago, I shared an idea and was told, "Let us not rock the boat." I called it wisdom and took it home with me. It was not wisdom. It was somebody else's "but", and I had quietly made it mine. Ask yourself whose voice is behind your hesitation. You may find you inherited it.
Some buts are just habit. I once brought my own pan to a friend's kitchen, certain the dish would turn out the way it always does. Different stove, different result. Not worse, just different. Half my buts are really "but this is how I have always done it."
Waiting is a decision. Another year of "not yet" is still a choice. The cost is just quieter.
"What if I fail?" has a twin nobody asks: what if it works? We rehearse the disaster in full detail and never the good outcome.
I am not saying ignore every doubt. Some buts protect you. The skill is telling which ones guard you and which only guard your comfort.
So write your buts down. All of them. Next to each, ask: is this a fact, or a fear? Then ask who it belongs to.
You may find the list is shorter than you thought. Or you may find one you have been hiding behind for years.
