The ferry hummed beneath my tires, cutting across the silver water.
Seagulls dancing in the sky, and the wind carried the faint smell of salt and possibility.
And there it was — the dock that meant leaving the safety of my island and stepping into the wide-open unknown.
Yesterday, I drove all by myself.
I drove off my island.
Onto the freeway.
And even parallel parked — like a boss, if I do say so.
To most people, this isn’t an event worth noting.
But once you know I’ve wrestled with severe anxiety around driving, you might glimpse the magnitude of this win.
This was not about miles.
This was about reclaiming a piece of myself I had quietly placed in storage.
It’s not the first time I’ve had to gather my courage to do the hard thing.
And it won’t be the last.
You have your own version of this.
That thing you’ve been circling
That fear that feels heavier every day.
Small business owners know this terrain.
The courage to launch before you feel “ready”.
The courage to raise your prices even when your voice shakes.
The courage to get on camera and speak into the wild unknown.
The courage to say no to what drains you, and yes to what scares you in the best possible way.
While those who run into fires are lauded — rightfully so — as heroes…
there’s another kind of bravery we rarely name.
It’s quieter.
Less photogenic.
But no less vital.
It’s the courage of showing up to build something no one can see yet.
The courage of staking your livelihood on a vision.
The courage of believing in yourself when there’s no data to prove you right… Yet
And though their boots might smell of smoke and their hands carry the weight of rescue, your courage is no less fierce.
You carry embers too — the ones you keep fanning in the dark,
waiting for the world to catch the light.
Small business owners are some of the most courageous people I know.
Not because they’re fearless,
but because they walk straight into the trembling and say,
“Alright then, let’s dance.”
And your fear?
It doesn’t disqualify you.
It’s proof you’re standing on sacred ground.
Yesterday, mine was a ferry ride, a freeway, and a parallel parking space.
Tomorrow, yours might be an email you’ve been avoiding,
a boundary you’ve been afraid to set,
a dream you’ve been whispering instead of declaring.
Where is courage asking you to meet it today?
If I can get off my island, you can get off yours.
Daily Affirmation:
I expand my courage by using it. Every small act makes me braver for the next.
PS: Profit is protest. And courage is the fuel that keeps it burning.
Courage is cumulative.
Every time we choose it, we grow it.
And in a world that would prefer us obedient, invisible, and safe…
every act of courage is a revolution.
Song of the Day: Brave — MORIAH
Find all the songs swirling in my head and onto the page on Spotify