
Turning Fear Into Fuel
Recently, I found myself staring down two mountains. One was launching GRID, my investing group, and the other was restarting my journey toward better health and fitness. Both felt daunting. Fear nearly crippled me by constantly spewing doubt into my mind:
What if I fail .. again?
What if people judge me?
What if I disappoint myself, my family?
I wish I could say the fear disappeared, but it didn’t. Instead, I’ve had to learn how to stare down that fear and move forward with the fear sitting right beside me. It hasn’t been easy, but something interesting is happening ... fear's voice is getting quieter.
The secret? Small, deliberate steps.
When I first thought about GRID, the “what ifs” were overwhelming.
What if no one joined?
What if I couldn’t lead effectively?
It’s the same feeling I had when I stepped back into a gym after months of inactivity. Fear of failure loomed large.
But here’s what I’ve learned: fear doesn’t disappear because we wait it out.
Fear fades when we act, even imperfectly.
Starting small helped me quiet that voice of failure. With GRID, it was as simple as brainstorming ideas with my partner Karen for the first meeting. With fitness, it was committing to work with trainer and hand over control over my workouts to her. One meeting, one set in the gym. That’s all it took to getting started.
Consistency is becoming my lifeline.
It's about showing up every day, no matter how small the effort.
For GRID, I blocked time to reach out to potential members and refine the group’s purpose.
For my health and fitness, I started by acknowledging I needed help and met with Aly at the gym so she could evaluate my fitness level and then design a workout program specific to me and my goals.
By breaking things down into manageable pieces, I created a system I could trust.
Momentum is growing now that I've stopped making every decision a battle.
It’s not, "Should I work out today?" It’s, "I am a person who works out regularly. Is today a lifting day or an active recovery day?"
One of the biggest shifts I’ve had to make is embracing discomfort.
Fear is loudest when I'm stepping into something unfamiliar.
But discomfort isn’t a sign to stop — it’s a hurdle I choose to face and overcome on a daily basis.
I reframe Fear as Fuel.
Now, I can acknowledge that if something scares me, I know it must matter and I address the fear head on rather than sticking my head in the proverbial sand.
Another mindset change?
Seeing failure differently.
Every misstep is just data, helping me adjust and move forward.
GRID might not be perfect yet, but every meeting teaches me what works. What I realized after our January meeting is that I talk too much. Moving forward, Karen is going to facilitate more of our content presentation and I'm going to fill in the blanks.
My journey in building my businesses and re-building a healthy and fit body isn't about perfection. As such, I am assured of missing a workout .. or slipping with my diet from time to time .. or missing timely follow up with leads .. or botching a negotiation .. or fill-in-the-blank....
And .. I'm totally OK with any of those "failures"
Because -- Failure isn’t final ... it’s feedback.
Here’s the most surprising part: as I’ve continued to take small, consistent steps, the fear has softened. It doesn’t grip me the way it used to. Instead, there’s this quiet confidence growing.
I’m not just someone trying to build an investing group or get fit—I’m someone who shows up, even when it’s hard.
The steps may be small, but they’re adding up to something big: momentum, resilience, and the ability to trust myself.
If you’re standing in front of your own mountain .. or you can't find your mountain because FEAR is keeping you from even looking for it, I want you to know this: it’s okay to be scared.
Fear is natural.
But don’t let it paralyze you.
Take one step, then another.
Build systems that make the hard decisions automatic.
Reframe failure as part of the process.
And most importantly, keep going.
Because while fear might be loud in the beginning, persistence makes it a whisper. And eventually, it’s drowned out by the sound of your own footsteps.