When Fear Isn’t the Problem (You Just Think It Is)

I had a decision to make.

It was a business decision — one about my coaching focus and the ways I most wanted to serve others.  The thing is, I’d already made that decision a few years ago. And it was going well.

Why I detoured is a story for another day. But I did.

Recently, I thought (maybe...) I had landed on a new, more specific direction — one that made sense on paper. A narrower focus. A defined target. Logically, it checked all the boxes.

But something in me quietly screamed, “Don’t go there. At least not in all the ways you’re thinking.”

I thought it was fear.

Because choosing a specialty has always felt scary to me. It’s vulnerable to say, “This is what I do” — especially when it means letting go of all the other things I could do.

So when I hesitated, I assumed I was just scared again. But I wasn’t.

This time, it wasn’t fear. It wasn’t anxiety. It wasn’t procrastination.

I was out of alignment. And my inner awareness was letting me know.

Our inner awareness is a gift — a guidance system, a GPS for life. And when we listen, we’re given clear direction.

The trouble is, it often speaks softly. And listening usually requires us to trust a process we can’t fully see yet.

Sometimes it nudges us toward something that feels uncertain (like reshaping a business or redefining a calling).

Sometimes it asks us to take brave, painful steps (I think of my clients considering the end of a relationship).

Sometimes it leads us right into the heart of hard conversations (I think of clients who needed to speak truth in love, even when it was uncomfortable).

But when we don’t listen, we get stuck. We second-guess. We blame ourselves and question everything.

I’ve made a decision to return to what I know I’m meant to do — coaching through the lens of communication and connection.

And when I did, my heart settled. The puzzle pieces started to fall back into place.

So I wonder:

Is there a place in your life where you’ve been labeling something as fear… or procrastination?

What if it’s actually your inner voice — inviting you to pause and re-listen?

Maybe it’s not fear.

Maybe it’s self-awareness.

Maybe it’s your inner GPS whispering, “This isn’t your path.”

Are you listening?