Pink Aura Diaries Presents: Steps Out Of Your Comfort Zone, Bitch, There’s Nothing Left In There For You Part 4: You’re Not Scared of Failing — You’re Scared of Being Seen Trying
Introduction: The Real Fear
Let’s be honest.
Most women are not afraid of hard work.
They are not afraid of effort.
They are not afraid of excellence.
They are afraid of visibility.
There’s a difference.
You’ll stay up late perfecting something privately. You’ll rehearse ideas in your head. You’ll plan, strategize, research.
But when it’s time to publicly step forward?
That’s where hesitation lives.
Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t just mean trying something new. It means allowing other people to witness you trying.
And that feels vulnerable.
The Psychology of Being Seen
From a behavioral perspective, visibility activates social evaluation fear — the anxiety associated with being judged.
The brain interprets potential embarrassment or rejection as social threat. Historically, social exclusion carried survival consequences. So the nervous system reacts strongly to the possibility of being evaluated.
This is why:
You overthink posting your work.
You hesitate to apply for higher roles.
You delay launching ideas.
You wait until something is “perfect.”
Perfectionism is often a mask for exposure anxiety.
It’s not about standards.
It’s about safety.
Comfort as Concealment
Your comfort zone isn’t just predictable — it’s private.
Inside it, you are not being evaluated. You are not risking public missteps. You are not opening yourself to critique.
Comfort protects your image.
But growth requires risking it.
There is a subtle ego protection happening when you don’t try visibly. If no one sees you attempt, no one can see you struggle.
But no one can see you rise either.
Professional Implications: Visibility Builds Authority
In professional settings, authority is often correlated with visibility.
Those who are seen:
Speaking
Presenting
Leading
Contributing
Are the ones remembered.
Avoiding visibility to avoid judgment limits upward mobility.
Leadership research consistently highlights that perceived competence increases with presence and participation. Skill alone is not enough — it must be demonstrated.
Staying hidden keeps you comfortable.
But it also keeps you overlooked.
Interactive Reflection: What Are You Avoiding?
Pause.
Answer these honestly:
What opportunity have I delayed because it requires public effort?
Where am I waiting to feel “ready” before being seen?
What would happen if I tried and it wasn’t perfect?
Am I protecting my pride more than my potential?
Write it down.
Fear shrinks when it’s named.
The Shift: Trying Anyway
Growth requires a new agreement with yourself.
You will try before you feel fully ready.
You will speak before your voice feels steady.
You will move before confidence feels guaranteed.
Confidence is built through evidence.
And evidence only forms when action is visible.
You are not afraid of failing.
You are afraid of failing publicly.
But public effort is the price of expansion.
Closing: Be Seen Trying
If there’s nothing left in your comfort zone, staying invisible won’t protect you.
It will limit you.
Being seen trying does not diminish you. It humanizes you. It positions you as someone willing to move, not someone waiting to be perfect.
The most successful women you admire were not fearless.
They were visible.
Stepping out of your comfort zone means accepting that growth is not quiet.
It is witnessed.
And that is not weakness.
That is leadership.
Be seen.
Pink Aura Diaries, XOXO.
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