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June 1, 2025
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August 1, 2025The Subtle Art
of Not Being Afraid
by Charlene Efiong
"Bravery in the face of uncertainty isn't about being fearless; it's about acknowledging the fear, understanding its potential to paralyze, and choosing to move forward anyway."
You know what can be truly frustrating sometimes? Our own minds. This complex inclusion in the brain’s functions. Now, what do we do with our minds that make it so frustrating? Thinking; it can often become a source of profound headaches. The thing with thinking is that we frequently overthink, and when we do, our minds tend to gravitate not towards the positive possibilities, but towards everything that could conceivably go wrong. We dwell on potential humiliations and every failure that might cross our path. We tend to forget the other side of the coin, and that brings us to the core of this piece.
I'm making a conscious choice not to overthink this very blog post. I'm not allowing myself to anticipate how it will turn out, or even if it will be "good." I know firsthand how overthinking can lead to worrying excessively over the tiniest of things. But not today, not now, and not ever with this blog. Why? You've made it this far; take a guess.
Now, don't get me wrong. Thinking is good, and yes, even overthinking can be beneficial, at times. Perhaps I should rephrase that. Thinking is good when it's not synonymous with worrying, when it's not driven by fear or anxiety. Some might suggest that we think with our heads, not our hearts, but I believe that even when we engage this abstract organ, fear can sometimes be the only outcome. If the heart guards our emotions, then it guards that too, and the difficult truth is, we can't simply turn it off. We can't just stare at it and yell, "NOPE!" even when we desperately want to.
What's truly remarkable is how overthinking can unearth these fears and worries, leaving us with what seems like two options: not looking and not leaping. In the first, we might attempt to close our eyes to those worries. In the second, we keep them wide open, ultimately running away from that potentially scary but exhilarating jump. It's likely that even if we do manage to make that leap, we'll remain trapped in overthinking, fixating on whether every bump along the way was "worth it." We won't dwell on the good feelings that await us at the end; instead, we'll be stuck at the very beginning, and that's genuinely terrifying. Ironically, fear itself is scary, and that's all it ultimately leads to: fear caging us in a web of overthought thoughts of failure.
So, sometimes, don't think at all. Don't try to think with your head or your heart. Just don't think. Don't analyze how deep the dive is, don't consider how dark the waters are. Just jump. Because sometimes, that's precisely what life demands for survival: an act of daring, a plunge into the unknown. This isn't about reckless abandon; it's about recognizing that true bravery often lies in the willingness to act despite the presence of fear, not in its absence.
Bravery in the face of uncertainty isn't about being fearless; it's about acknowledging the fear, understanding its potential to paralyze, and choosing to move forward anyway. It's the quiet strength that allows us to step into the uncharted territory of our goals, even when the path isn't clearly lit. When we choose not to overthink, we are making a conscious decision to trust our intuition and our capacity to adapt. We are saying that the potential for growth and exhilaration outweighs the possibility of a stumble.
This isn't to say that planning has no place. Strategic thinking is vital. But there's a distinct difference between thoughtful planning and debilitating overthinking. The latter drains our energy, stifles our creativity, and ultimately prevents us from experiencing the very life we're trying so hard to control. To truly embrace bravery, we must be willing to make that leap of faith, to trust that even if we falter, we possess the resilience to get back up. The reward for such courage is not the absence of challenges, but the profound satisfaction of having truly lived.
So, dive with me.
