That growl… it came out of nowhere! Deep… sharp… very protective!
Before you could respond, he lunged forward – not a full attack, but enough to send a warning. Teeth bared, body rigid… the bark echoing as if to say something was very wrong. Yet… nothing was wrong.
Your friend was all smiles as they approached the gate. There was nothing threatening at all… a familiar face, great mood… just their normal self. You were glad to see them… But Judge wasn’t having it!
Grabbing his collar, you pulled Judge back… “Down boy! You know Jordan!”
“Sorry, Jordan… He saw movement, and well… he’s just a bit protective,” you offered, knowing it was merely an excuse.
Nervously, Jordan offered a joke… “Ha! You should really name him ‘Fear’!“
How many people, chances, and changes have you kept outside the gate… simply because Judge couldn’t tell the difference between danger and discomfort?
Danger and discomfort aren’t the same thing. You already know this… and how they can feel almost identical in the moment.
Danger is a real threat: something that can cause real harm. Discomfort is the unfamiliar… the uncertain… exposed in front of us.
One needs protection. The other needs presence.
Sometimes… that overprotective voice in your head only sees the same thing – a threat! So when discomfort shows up, fear jumps the fence.
I’m no different.
When I first felt the pull towards coaching, that same voice started barking in my head.
- “Who do you think you are?”
- “Dude, you’re too old for that kind of change!”
- “Who’d even want that from you?”
- “Do you even have anything to offer?”
- “You’re probably gonna fail… and become a joke!”
Honestly… none of it sounded like fear. It sounded like smart, grounded thinking… being reasonable before stepping into something new.
The truth?
Judge was barking at the unknown… trying to keep me safe. If all that “risk” stayed on the other side of the fence, I couldn’t get hurt if things went wrong.
Years ago, I made the decision to start living fearlessly… not to be held back by fear. Sure, I still see risks, and I take them seriously. I look at the likelihood of different outcomes, and try to decide which is the most likely one.
I also started pushing myself past the doubt. I knew deep down I had something more to give, and I truly felt this was the right path for me… even as that fear kept pressing.
But here’s what I realized:
Judge was never going to give me permission. If it was up to him, we’d stay safe behind that gate.
That voice – the one disguised as “logic” or “caution” – it was really just screaming for survival. The thing with survival… it doesn’t care about fulfillment… or alignment… or legacy. It just wants the heart to keep beating and the gate to stay closed.
So I stopped asking it to lead. I stepped out, beyond the fear… beyond the doubt. I opened the gate and have walked on through!
I’ll be honest with you here… I still hear Judge. That bark hasn’t gone completely quiet.
But I started choosing for myself… not based on fear or whether I felt ready, but whether I felt called to my truth.
What is Judge holding you back from?
What’s on the other side of that gate for you?
What’s just beyond the fear – not the one keeping you from mortal harm – but the one holding you back from your truth?
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