“We all walk in shoes that are too small for us.” -Carl Jung

There is often a moment, subtle, but unmistakable, when you feel the pull of possibility. Maybe it originates in a dream you tucked away, a next step you have avoided, or a truth you have been afraid to voice. Alongside that pull, though, almost without fail, comes fear.

The truth is growth most frequently comes wrapped in discomfort. And too often, we interpret that discomfort as a sign to stop. But what if fear is actually a sign that you are on the right track?

Psychology has long studied what enables some people to lean into their potential while others retreat. The findings suggest that human potential is not fixed — it expands when we engage with challenge, uncertainty, and even fear.

Fear Is Not a Signal to Stop — It’s a Sign You’re Growing

“Where your fear is, there is your task.” – Carl Jung

Fear is a universal part of the growth process. From the perspective of neuroscience and evolution, it makes sense: the brain is wired foremost for survival, not fulfillment. Anything uncertain or unfamiliar can trigger the amygdala, which perceives risk even where there may be none. That’s why even positive steps, like finding and starting a better job or starting therapy, can provoke anxiety.

But fear, when understood correctly, becomes a compass rather than a wall. Susan Jeffers, in her classic Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (1987), argued that most fears are rooted in one core belief: “I can’t handle it.” Yet studies on self-efficacy — a concept introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura — show the opposite: when people begin to act in the face of fear and prove to themselves that they can cope, their confidence grows (Bandura, 1997).

Key Point: Action in the face of fear frees us from self-limiting narrative and rewires our brain. The more we approach what we fear, rather than avoid it, the more resilient and capable we become.

Risking Is How We Rewire Our Lives

One of the most powerful findings in psychology is that neural plasticity — the brain’s ability to change and adapt — isn’t just reserved for childhood. Adults, too, can reshape thought and behavior patterns by engaging in new, challenging experiences (Doidge, 2007). But this only happens through active engagement and sometimes it requires that we take calculated risks to engage in something new or unfamiliar.

Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset (2006) reinforces this: people who believe their abilities can be developed through effort are more likely to take on challenges, persist through difficulty, and ultimately reach higher levels of success. In contrast, a fixed mindset — the belief that intelligence or talent is static — discourages risk-taking and leads to fear of failure.

Every time you take a risk, you don’t just gain new experience — you signal to your brain that you are adaptable. Over time, this builds a new internal narrative: I can try hard things. I can recover from setbacks. I can grow.

Try This: Ask yourself, “What small risk can I take today that nudges me out of comfort and toward growth?” That step doesn’t have to be huge — it just has to be different.

Self-Belief Is a Practice, Not a Personality Trait

It is easy to think that belief in yourself is something you either have or don’t. But confidence is not a fixed characteristic — it is a repeated decision. According to Martin Seligman, founder of the field of positive psychology, the most resilient people aren’t those with the easiest lives, but those who develop an optimistic explanatory style — meaning they view challenges as temporary, external, and changeable (Seligman, 1990).

This mindset reduces helplessness and increases motivation. Instead of saying, “I failed because I’m not good enough,” the person with an optimistic style says, “That didn’t work out, but I can learn and try again.”

And over time, these beliefs form a foundation for courage. This is not because outcomes are guaranteed, but because the person has come to trust their own ability to respond, adapt, and rise up.

Practice This: When faced with fear or doubt, ask:

“What would I do here if I believed in myself?” Then act from that place — even if it feels unfamiliar.

Your Potential Is Not a Promise — It’s a Daily Practice

Human potential is often misunderstood as a kind of dormant gift waiting to be discovered. But in truth, it is a process that unfolds through commitment, action, and reflection. Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, put it powerfully in Man’s Search for Meaning (1946):

“Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”

The modern research agrees. Potential is less about what we’re born with and more about how we meet life’s challenges with presence and persistence. Angela Duckworth, in her work on grit, defines it as the combination of passion and perseverance — a better predictor of success than talent alone (Duckworth et al., 2007).

Core Idea: You don’t “discover” your potential. You create it — daily — by choosing growth over comfort.

The Way Forward Is Through, Not Around

Ultimately, we cannot think our way into our potential. We have to live our way into it — by taking the step that scares us, speaking the truth that frees us, and showing up as the version of ourselves we are becoming, even before we feel ready.

Each of us stands at the edge of our own becoming – at the edge of our potential. Although the choice to take the next step is rarely easy, it is always our choice to make. You don’t have to eliminate fear, doubt, or discomfort to grow. You just have to be willing to walk with them and courageously keep going.

Dr. Thomas Lindquist, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Contact: t.lindquist.psyd@gmail.com