Stretch, not strain

AZIZAM,

Last night I got up on a stage and performed a set of poems:
I conceive these pieces with the beat of my heart,
then birth them with the fire of my voice.

And it scared the shit out of me.

My stomach ached for days leading up to it. My legs were so weak that I thought I’d fall off the damn stage when I was walking off afterwards. I felt so high for hours after. And, I have a major vulnerability hangover today.

This happens every time I’m called to do something that I deeply desire and am simultaneously terrified of.

Every. Single. Time.

Rinse and repeat.

When you simultaneously love something and fear it all at the same time.

This idea that ‘everything we desire is on the other side of fear’ is limited AF. Instead @mindshiftleadership we teach to “stretch, not strain”.

Because we are creating stardust not scar tissue.

All these “tools” out in the wild are not created equal. Last thing we need is to override and overwhelm our systems. And disconnect even further from our intuition.

Instead we need tools supporting us to embrace our power. Reclaim our sovereignty. And make choices from there.

I’ll probably always be scared, and never 100% ready.⁠

So the question is:

Does this serve me? ⁠

Does it matter to me?

Does it align with my values?

Do I feel nourished?

Does it support my growth?

If yes, then, am I ready to stretch? (Even then it’s still a choice)