Letters to Viv: You Can Feel the Fear and Still Move Forward
Let fear be a breadcrumb, not a blockade.
Letters to Viv
Open, soul-packed letters to the kind of human I write for: the curious, creative, exhausted by the hustle, and craving something more. I’m writing to you (and me).
Dear Viv,
I came across something the other day, one of those things I usually scroll past.
It said:
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real.
And I’ll be honest, it made me pause.
Because I’ve been walking with fear a lot lately.
And none of it has felt false.
Fear of the unknown.
Fear of being alone after 18 years of not being.
Fear of supporting yourself fully, finally, emotionally, financially, and energetically.
There’s no part of that that feels imaginary.
There’s no part of that that’s just a mindset reframe or a cute acronym.
But still… the line stuck with me.
Because maybe it’s not about whether fear is real or false.
Maybe it’s about where it lives.
Fear lives in the future.
It thrives in the what-ifs.
It feeds on the uncertain, the undone, the not-yet.
But you live here. Now.
This moment. This breath. This hour. This ground beneath your feet.
Fear can’t hold you in the present.
It only has power when you leave your body and try to leap ahead.
So come back.
Right now.
Back to the inhale. Back to your feet.
Back to the softness that says: I don’t have to know what’s next. I just have to stay with what is.
Viv, your fear is not a flaw.
It’s not a sign that you’re not ready, not strong, or not healed enough.
It’s just a signal. A flare. A nervous system saying, Please don’t leave me behind.
So, let’s not run.
Let’s not freeze.
Let’s feel it. Fully.
Because when we feel the fear, we move through it.
And when we move through it, it loosens.
It teaches us something.
What if fear could be your compass?
What if fear didn’t mean stop, but pay attention?
What if your fear is the first breadcrumb… not the block?
The truth is: courage isn’t the absence of fear.
It’s staying present with it.
It’s saying: You’re allowed to come along, but you’re not in charge.
And from that place?
We can keep going.
xo,
Tanya
What is fear trying to tell you right now, and how can you meet it without letting it lead? Share in the comments below.
Honor and respect the voice of fear, but don't empower it. Fear if fed grows and grows. But what I love about what you've written here is a call to have it have a proper place. To listen within, and allow it to come with you on the journey, but not cast the deciding vote.