Next time, ask ‘What’s the worst that will happen?’ Then push yourself a little further than you dare. — Audre Lorde

Next time, ask ‘What’s the worst that will happen?’ Then push yourself a little further than you dare.

Author: Audre Lorde

Insight: We spend enormous energy protecting ourselves from hypothetical disasters that never arrive. That nagging doubt about sending the email, making the phone call, or sharing the idea—we play it safe because something might go wrong. But Lorde's point cuts through this fog: actually name the worst outcome. Not to dismiss it, but to see it clearly. Most of the time, you realize the worst thing is survivable. Your boss doesn't fire you. The person doesn't laugh at you. You don't die of embarrassment, despite what your nervous system insists. The second part is where real living happens: push past that edge anyway. Not recklessly, but deliberately. You're not ignoring the fear; you're factoring it in and choosing to act despite it. That's where growth lives—not in the absence of risk, but in the small decision to step forward when you've already acknowledged what you're afraid of. This matters because most of us mistake caution for wisdom. We confuse staying small with staying safe. But the constraints we accept often cost more than the risks we're actually avoiding.