There is a version of playing small that nobody talks about. It doesn’t always look like insecurity. Sometimes it looks like being endlessly prepared.
It looks like taking one more course before launching the business. Waiting another year before applying for the leadership role. Keeping the idea in your notebook because it isn’t “perfect” yet.
Preparation is important. But there comes a point when preparation becomes a hiding place.
Many accomplished women have enough knowledge, experience and talent to take the next step. What they lack is not ability. It is permission and often, they are waiting for someone else to give it to them.
The truth is, nobody may come. You have to decide that your voice is worth hearing. That your idea deserves a room. That your business deserves visibility. That your ambition doesn’t need an apology.
Playing small can feel safe because it protects us from rejection. But it also protects us from possibility.
You cannot experience the full impact of your potential while constantly editing yourself for other people’s comfort.
So ask yourself:
Where am I shrinking?
Is it in your career? Your business? Your relationships? Your pricing? Your personal style? Your voice?
You don’t have to change everything today.
Choose one area. And take one audacious step. Because sometimes the woman you’ve been trying to become is already there. She has simply been waiting for you to stop holding her back.
This is your Audacious August reminder: You are allowed to take up space.
See you at the Wellness and Style Live Experience on the 12th of Sept. Get your ticket👇🏾
https://exquisitemag.com/the-wellness-and-style-experience/
Written by Dr Tewa Onasanya
