You might not even realize it,
But some part of you is still waiting,
Waiting for someone to say,
Now you're allowed to start,
Now you're ready,
Now it matters.
And until that moment comes,
You hover,
You prepare,
You gather skills,
You journal,
You plan,
You dream,
But you don't fully begin,
Not really,
Because there's a whisper underneath it all saying,
Who said you could?
It's subtle,
But it shapes everything.
You hold back from sharing the real version of your work,
You delay launching the thing,
You second guess the idea that lit you up five minutes ago,
You shrink just a little,
Just enough to feel safer.
And maybe you think you're just being careful or responsible or you're not quite there yet,
But often what's really happening is a wait for permission that was never given.
Because somewhere along the line,
You were taught that your instincts weren't enough,
That someone smarter,
Louder,
Older,
More validated should approve what you create,
And so you internalized it.
You became the person who double checks everything,
Who waits for the signal,
The green light,
The confirmation that you're not being ridiculous for wanting what you want.
And I get it,
I truly do.
Because for so many of us,
Permission was always external.
It came from grades,
From gatekeepers,
From bosses or parents or mentors or people whose approval felt like survival.
But now,
Now you're the gatekeeper and you don't even realize you're still holding the key.
That's the ache.
The permission you keep waiting for,
It's not coming.
Not because you're not worthy,
But because no one else can give it to you.
Not in the way that you need.
Only you can decide that this version of you is allowed.
The messy one,
The uncertain one,
The one who still flinches at their own power.
They're allowed.
You are allowed.
Not when you're fully healed,
Not when the project is perfect,
Not when someone else nods.
Now.
You don't need to be more ready.
You don't need more training or certification.
You don't need to prove you belong.
You just have to choose.
Choose to believe your voice has weight even before it's echoed back.
Choose to believe that waiting is a story,
Not a requirement.
Choose to believe that you don't have to earn your place by being exceptional.
You are already here.
And the longer you wait for someone else to name your worth,
The longer you stay outside of your own life.
So if no one has told you this yet,
You're allowed to begin.
You're allowed to speak.
You're allowed to take up space.
And you don't need permission.
You just need to stop withholding it from yourself.
See you next week.
