Why the bravest step is often the wobbliest one.
My granddaughter is the best teacher I know. Right now, her main goal is to get one knee in front of the other.
She sees something she wants and starts to crawl (her new “thing”) wobbly and determinedly to get it. That’s all there is. Don’t think too much. Just do it.
Isn’t that what we all miss when we get older? That simple, fearless pull toward what excites us, without the fear of not getting it right or not getting it at all.
So if you’re here and feeling stuck, unsure, or uncomfortable, and your life looks fine on paper but feels a little “off,” you’re not imagining it. I know that place well because I’ve been there myself.
You could have the job, the duties, and a full calendar, but you might still wonder, “Is this really it?”
And this is what I think after watching my granddaughter and sitting with people who feel just as stuck: There isn’t that one perfect move to make for clarity to suddenly appear ( if you’ve nailed that move, then you are a rare gem!)
You usually find it in the little, scared, and unsure ones. You know you’re on your way when you realize that progress isn’t a straight line; it’s more like a hike to the Everest Base Camp.
We really want to find the big answer, don’t we? That one shining goal in life.
But I see it more and more in the little things we don’t notice.
The five minutes of silence.
The talk where you are honest.
Trying that one little thing that interests you.
It is not a treasure hunt to find your reason. It is more like remembering that you’ve always had a compass. You just have to look down and believe it.
And here’s a strong truth I’ve learned over the years. Being perfect has nothing to do with living up to your potential.
It has a lot to do with being kinder to yourself when you show up for yourself ( and that’s not being selfish!)
It’s about the little daily habits that help you grow as a person.
You build resilience not by avoiding falls, but by learning how to get back up after you fall. It is giving yourself the freedom to integrate work and life without expecting to be a perfect circus juggler every day.
Your potential isn’t a far-off goal. It is in wanting to know what your next step will be. It takes courage to see the problems as part of the story, not the end of it. It is your choice to be kind to yourself along the way.
So, if you’ve been feeling a quiet pull toward something more, I encourage you to be curious about it. What little thing makes you lean in? A small step that feels like a “yes”? Don’t worry about the whole map. That’s all you need to do.
