The last time I took a real risk? It wasn’t skydiving or quitting my job on a whim. It was something far more personal.

It was deciding to finally put up this blog.

For years, I let fear and self-doubt keep me quiet. I’d write in private—scraps of thoughts, stories half-finished, feelings too tangled for spoken words. Writing was always my safe place, but sharing it? That felt impossible. Too raw. Too exposing. What if no one read it? Or worse—what if they did?

Then came the idea of uploading my photos to Shutterstock. Again, it sounds small, maybe even insignificant to some. But for me, it was another layer of vulnerability. I’d never put myself—or my creative work—out there. I was scared people would judge, that it wouldn’t be “good enough.” That I wouldn’t be.

But something shifted when my partner sat across from me one evening and said, “What’s the worst that could happen? You love this. So do it.”

So I did.

Slowly. Awkwardly. Nervously. I launched the blog. Chose the name. Uploaded the photos. Hit “publish” with shaking hands and a heart pounding louder than a drum. And you know what?

It was a big risk. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but for me, it was huge.

It was me saying: I’m here. This is my voice. This is what I love.

And that’s powerful.

Sometimes, the scariest things are the ones that ask us to show up as our true selves. But I’ve learned that putting yourself out there doesn’t mean you have to be fearless—it just means you have to be willing.

So here I am, showing up.

And if you’re reading this, maybe it’s time for you to take that risk, too. Whatever it is. However small it might seem. If it matters to you, it matters.

And you’re not alone.