The power of maybe

Welcome to This Daring Adventure podcast, where we work on bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be in order to live a bigger and bolder life. In this podcast, we will provide inspiration, tips, and skills you need to make your life the adventure you want it to be. Here's your host, mindset mentor and life coach, Trista Guertin.

Hey, everybody.

Welcome back to the podcast. I'm so glad you're here today because we are diving into a topic that affects all of us, and that is fear, specifically the fear of being hurt. If you've ever found yourself stuck in an endless loop of worst case scenarios, this episode is for you.

Today, we're going to talk about how our brains try to protect us and what can actually hold us back. and a simple but powerful shift that can help you move forward with more ease and confidence. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the fear of hurt is actually more painful than the hurt itself? I have seen so many people spend a lot of energy bracing for impact, anticipating the worst, and trying to avoid pain. In reality, what happens is that we end up living in a constant state of anxiety and hesitation. It's almost like holding your breath, waiting for something bad to happen, instead of just letting life unfold. And the other thing is that it keeps us playing small. It holds us back. I have had many conversations with people who say they don't want to get into another relationship, or they don't want to try this, or they don't want to do that, because they're afraid of being hurt. And, When we allow that fear to stop us, when we allow it to hold us back, we do land up just living in a very small box.

We land up living smaller than we have to, or that we can. And so why do we do this? Our brains think they're being helpful. They're trying to predict potential problems so that we can prepare, avoid risk, and stay safe. And this is an ancient survival mechanism. Back in the days when survival literally meant avoiding predators, and we were living in caves, this was useful. But today, In our modern lives, it does more harm than good. This survival instinct, this survival mechanism has not evolved with the rest of our brain and with our current lives.

So instead of helping us out, our brains convince us that we need to solve problems before they even exist.

But here's the truth. You can't solve a problem that hasn't happened yet. And spending all of your time worrying about it? That's what keeps you stuck. Now, here's a really powerful shift that I want to offer you today.

Next time your brain jumps to a worst case scenario, instead of spiraling into panic, try responding with a simple, maybe. For instance, if your brain offers you the thought, he's going to cheat on me.

Maybe, I'm going to get my heart broken.

Maybe, I'm going to fail at that. Maybe.

When you say maybe, you create some space. You stop treating that thought like it's a fact. And instead, acknowledge that it's just one possible outcome.

But it's not a certainty. Our brain loves to predict what's going to happen, and it's certain that it knows the answer.

But when we give ourselves a little bit of space, it gives us room to breathe, room to act from a place of confidence instead of fear, room to remind yourself that the fear is unwritten. And you don't need to spend your energy preparing for disasters that may never come.

Now, here's another important shift, and one that might surprise you. You don't need to be in a rush to change these thoughts.

So often we believe that the goal is to eliminate the negative thoughts completely and just think positive.

But that urgency? That need to push them away is what makes them stick around even more.

What you resist persists. Instead, I want to encourage you just to notice them. Let them be there. Let them exist. They're just sentences in your brain trying to do their job, which is to keep you safe. But you don't have to take them seriously. You don't have to believe them. They're not helpful. So what if instead, trying, instead of trying to get rid of them, you just let them be?

What if you allowed yourself to coexist with those thoughts without making them mean something about yourself or about your future? You cannot predict what's going to happen. You will feel like you can, but you can't.

So try it.

Next time your brain jumps to a catastrophic conclusion, just say maybe. And then keep going. I want to leave you with this. The fear of being hurt will always be there. It doesn't mean that anything has gone wrong. But what if you didn't let that stop you? What if instead of resisting it, you just acknowledged it, allowed it, and then took action anyway?

Fear doesn't mean stop. And this is where your power lies. Your brain means well, and it's trying to predict disaster. Just. Think. Maybe. And move forward anyway.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.

If you found this episode helpful, I'd love for you to share it with a friend or rate, review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts. And as always, take care of yourself. Be kind to your thoughts. Don't believe everything you think. And I'll see you next time. Bye bye.

Thank you for listening to This Daring Adventure podcast with your host Trista Guertin.

We hope you enjoyed the tips and conversations on how to get excited about life again.

As always, you can head to tristaguertin.com for additional resources and to book a one on one coaching session.

You can also follow Trista on Instagram at tristavguertin.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you next time.