A Door To Walk Through

Happy Sunday Friends!

Here's one quote I'm musing on this week, two core ideas, three favorite things, and one question to carry with you into the week ahead.

One Quote I'm Musing

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." | Marianne Wiliamson

I’m standing at the edge of a new role—one that mirrors the work I’ve loved doing in the Army, but in a different, more prominent way.

More public. More forward-facing. More visible.

It’s a good thing. A next-level opportunity. But I’ll be honest with you—

I’m anxious.

Not because I don’t trust my ability. But because stepping into this role means stepping out of the version of me that’s been comfortable, proven, and safe.

It’s not fear of failure I’m facing.

It’s fear of expansion, transition.

😨 The Fear of Becoming

Most of us fear not doing enough. But what happens when we fear doing well?

What if we actually become what we said we wanted?

That’s where resistance lives, I know it does for me.
Not in failure—but in becoming so visible, so responsible, so powerful that there’s no turning back.

I’ve noticed something:

The closer we get to becoming the version of ourselves we admire, the louder the voice gets that says:
“Are you sure ?”

That voice isn’t truth. It’s memory.
It’s your nervous system remembering the comfort of who you were—and panicking at the thought of losing it.

🪞 Grieving the Old Identity

I had a ton of time this weekend to really think on these feelings.

One thought really struck a chord:

“I don’t think I’m afraid of the new role. I think I’m grieving the old one.”

That’s it.

That past version of me—the one who operated from the background, refined ideas out of the spotlight, led in quiet spaces—that version served me. I broadened without perceptible risk.

But I can’t take him into this next season.

Transitions are hard not because we don’t want the future. They’re hard because we haven’t made peace with the past.

To evolve, we have to let go without rejecting.
The goal isn’t to kill your old identity; it’s to integrate it into something more complete.

🎭 The Paradox of Arrival

You see, no one tells you that the moment you arrive at something you’ve worked toward is the same moment you question whether you belong there.

It’s not imposter syndrome.
It’s identity lag.

You’re not unqualified, you’re just unfamiliar with this new version of you. That’s why it feels like fraudulence.

The solution isn’t to wait for confidence.
It’s to act as if—to operate like the version of you who already lives there.

Greene tell us: Every transformation has a cost. The old you must be paid forward.
Holiday would remind us: The obstacle isn’t the fear. The obstacle is the attachment.
I think The easiest way to close the gap is to live like your future self in 10-minute blocks.

🔑 The Key Insight

We don’t need to erase the past version of ourselves.
But we do need to stop asking for their permission.

Act from your future.
Lead from the self you're becoming, not the one you're comfortable being.

🛠️ Identity Shift Toolkit

So, if you’re a bit like me—handsome, dashing, occasionally anxious—here’s an Identity Integration Protocol for the season of transition:

The Identity Integration Protocol

🔍 Name the Old Identity
Write it down: “I was someone who _______.”
What did that version of you value, avoid, fear?

🪞 Define the New Identity
Write: “I’m becoming someone who _______.”
What actions reflect that? What would that version of you do today?

⚖️ Create an Overlap Habit
Pick one behavior from the old version of you and pair it with a new one. Do both 30 days. It becomes a bridge, not a break.

⏱️ Use the 10-Minute Rehearsal
Set a timer. For 10 minutes, work like future you would.
Take the call, write the draft, lead the meeting.

Over time, those 10-minute shifts become the new you.

🎙️ Bonus: Practice Future Voice
Record a 30-second memo as your future self. Describe your average day. Speak it into reality.

💡 Two Ideas From Me

🧠 It’s not fear of failing. It’s fear of losing the excuse not to grow.
Because once you step forward, you can’t hide behind potential.

🧭 Trust the people who believe in you.
Let your identity align with your impact.

Three Favorite Things This Week

🎧 Podcast: Lex Fridman × Rick Rubin on creative identity, authenticity, and transformation | Listen
🎯 Start at 19:00 for my favorite 4-minute segment.

📖 Book: The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest — brilliant on self-sabotage, my favorite line is “Your new life is going to cost you your old one.” | Amazon

🎵 Song: “Brave” by Sara Bareilles — Feels cheesy, but 157m listeners…right?
| YouTube

✍️ One Question to Take Into Your Week

What part of you is scared to grow—and what version of you is ready to take over?

Write it down.
Thank the part that brought you here.
Then step forward.

If this resonated, send it to a friend standing on the edge of something new.
Sometimes what we need isn’t another answer—it’s knowing we’re not alone in the becoming.

Until next Sunday, my friends.

Stay bold. Stay in motion.

Think Dangerously.
–e

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