When Doubt Screams Loudest, You Might Be Closer Than You Think

Why fear and anxiety don’t mean you’re on the wrong path — they might mean you’re exactly where you need to be.

I’ve been wondering lately, especially with this move coming up — every time I feel doubt, every time I feel anxiety, I find myself thinking:

Am I on the wrong path? Am I missing something? Am I making a mistake?

It hit me the other day:

What if the doubt and the anxiety are part of it? Always part of it?

What if every time we go through big change, we just forget that this is what it feels like?

And instead of recognizing it, we give it too much attention — interpreting it as a signal that we’re doing something wrong — when actually, it’s baked into the process.

If I look back, every moment of big change and transformation in my life included doubt.

Doubt wasn’t a sign that I should stop.

It was just something I navigated on the way to where I was going.

Doubt asks, Are you sure? Is this the right path?

And when you’re doing something new, different, important — it’s natural for that question to show up.

It’s kind of like what people say about giving speeches or performing on stage.

They talk about how they feel wildly nervous — they might even throw up before stepping into the spotlight.

Actors, musicians, artists — they all describe that same shaky, breathless, oh-my-god-what-am-I-doing feeling.

But it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do it.

It means they’re about to do something important that requires all their attention and their full heart.

I remember reading a quote once by Kate Winslet — she said something like, “Acting is a whole lot of mind-fucking.”

Because when you’re about to do something big, draw attention to yourself, or step into something unknown, it’s extremely likely — if not inevitable — that you’ll feel anxious, doubtful, maybe even ready to run, freeze, or fight.

That realization made me rethink the whole experience of doubt and anxiety.

Maybe the feeling of “am I making a fool of myself?” or “is this a mistake?” isn’t a warning sign.

Maybe it’s part of the normal landscape when you’re stepping into something bigger, scarier, more alive.

And that makes me wonder:

What if it’s not just me?

What if this is the moment we, collectively, keep getting wrong?

Every time we edge closer to real, lasting, necessary change — toward justice, dignity, and equality for all — the fear shows up. The anxiety. The mind-numbing doubt.

And maybe too often, we mistake that fear for a warning to stop, to retreat, to cling to what’s familiar, even when it no longer serves us.

But what if it’s actually the same truth?

That fear isn’t a sign we’re wrong — it’s a sign we’re doing something different.

Something big.

Something alive with possibility.

What if standing in that fear, not running from it, is how we finally step through to the world we’ve been trying to build all along?

The next time fear grips your chest and doubt clouds your mind, pause and remember:

This could be the doorway, not the warning.

This could be the beginning of everything you’ve been working toward.