I choose to go on, despite the fear…

Today, I’d love to invite you to take a little pause with me. Maybe with a cup of tea in hand, sitting somewhere quiet—and let’s talk about something we all know too well: fear.

Fear often gets such a bad reputation. But what if we saw it not as something to get rid of, but as something to gently work with?

Gandhi once said that courage is the first condition of spiritual growth. And I feel this so deeply. Without courage, we often drift away from our true self—our voice, our values, our joy. But here’s the thing that not many people say out loud: being brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you move anyway, even if your knees are shaking and your stomach is in knots.

In therapy, I’ve witnessed time and time again the quiet power it takes for someone to begin. To sit down, to open up, to face the messy, painful, tender bits of their story. That’s not weakness—that’s strength. Starting therapy is not just a practical step. It’s a courageous act of reclaiming your life.

I know how hard it can be. We’re often raised to “be strong” or “be brave,” but rarely are we shown how to do that in real life—when our hearts ache, when our confidence is low, when shame whispers that we’re not good enough. And how can we step outside our comfort zone if we don’t even feel safe inside of it?

Many of us are walking through the world carrying an invisible weight—of fear, of rejection, of failure, of not being enough. And sometimes, that fear gets so loud that it stops us before we even begin.

But I want to tell you something I’ve learned—not just as a therapist, but as a human being who’s been through a lot:

Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s the decision to go on, anyway.

From a neuroscience point of view, courage is when we manage to calm the alarm system in our brain just enough to take that next small step. And believe me, I’ve had many moments in my own life where fear tried to convince me to give up. The sleepless nights, the tightness in my throat, the quiet battles no one else could see. But I chose, again and again, to stand up—even when it felt like I couldn’t. Even when I didn’t have all the answers.

Every one of those moments changed me. Every one reminded me that fear might visit, but it doesn’t get to make all the decisions.

It takes courage to be who you truly are in a world that sometimes wants you to shrink. It takes courage to take responsibility for your own healing. And perhaps the most radical act of all is just showing up to life—again and again—even when your heart is sore, your body is tired, and your hope feels a little shaky.

So if you’re waiting for the fear to go away before you act, let me lovingly say this:

It probably won’t.

But you can still choose to move.

You can still say yes.

You can still begin.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

Whether it was Pooh or Piglet who said it (and I can never remember!), the words remain:

Feel the fear. And do it anyway.

I’ll see you on the path,

Alicja 🌱

Soul Healing Counselling