133 - This Is What Happens When You Stop Holding Yourself Back in 2026

How often do you put off the very thing you most need to do because it will feel awkward?
You hold back from asking, saying, or doing what matters, not because it's wrong, but because it feels uncomfortable.

In this episode, I explore why awkwardness is not a sign you're failing. It is often evidence that you're choosing your values over comfort. Confidence does not come before action. It follows it. Courage is not about eliminating discomfort or waiting until you feel ready. It is about acting in alignment with who you want to be, even when your nervous system would prefer you play it safe.

Avoiding awkwardness does not make life safer. It makes it smaller and quietly sells you short. Every time you decide to brave an uncomfortable moment, you cast a vote for the person you are becoming and strengthen your capacity to lead with integrity, clarity, and influence.

Episode Takeaways

• Avoiding awkward situations limits personal growth and leadership potential.
  Putting off uncomfortable conversations, requests, or actions keeps you stuck in patterns that feel safe but prevent progress.

• Awkwardness is a signal of values-aligned action, not failure.
  Feeling uncomfortable often means you are choosing integrity and long-term impact over short-term comfort.

• Confidence is built through action, not before it.
  Waiting to feel ready or confident delays growth. Taking small courageous actions rewires the brain and builds self-trust over time.

• The brain is wired to favor comfort and certainty.
  Understanding this helps explain why hesitation shows up even when you know what the right next step is.

• Leadership requires choosing values over emotional discomfort.
  Effective leaders act based on who they want to be, not how they feel at the moment.

• Repeated courageous behavior strengthens confidence and credibility. Neuroscience shows that practicing bravery makes future courageous actions easier and more natural.
  
  

Resources

Courage is Calling: Reset Your Bravest Path

Transform discomfort into bold, confident action: The LinkedIn Course

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