From Fear to Action: How to Silence Your Inner Critic and Start (Inspired by Seth Godin)

Every time you think about starting something new—whether it’s a business, a blog, or a bold conversation—there’s a voice that whispers, 'Not yet. Not you.' Seth Godin calls this the 'lizard brain,' the ancient part of our psychology that equates change with danger. It’s the reason we procrastinate, the force behind our perfectionism, and the source of our self-doubt.

But here’s the truth: everyone feels this resistance. The difference between those who make a mark and those who don’t is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act anyway. Godin’s advice is simple but profound—name your resistance. When you say, 'I’m afraid of failing,' or 'I worry about what others will think,' you take away some of fear’s power. It becomes something you can work with, not something that controls you.

Organizations can help by encouraging vulnerability and rewarding attempts, not just results. When teams share their fears and failures openly, psychological safety grows, and so does creativity. For individuals, the secret is to build habits that lower the bar for starting—tiny steps, daily actions, and quick experiments. Over time, these small victories add up to big changes.

By reframing failure as feedback and seeing every attempt as progress, you can transform your relationship with fear. The world needs more people willing to poke the box. Will you be one of them?