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You Don’t Need More Time — You Need More Courage

What if the reason you’re stuck isn’t a lack of time—but a lack of courage?

By Zoey LaneioPublished 9 months ago 3 min read
You Don’t Need More Time — You Need More Courage
Photo by Amit Jain on Unsplash



Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute.

When we say, “I don’t have time,” what we often mean is:

I’m scared.

Not always, but more often than we admit.

We’re not waiting for time — we’re waiting for confidence.

And because that confidence hasn’t shown up yet, we keep putting off the very thing we know we’re meant to do.

We tell ourselves:

“I’ll start next week.”

“When life calms down.”

“When I feel more ready.”

But let’s be real — those moments never magically arrive.

Because time was never the issue.

Fear was.



The Lie We Tell Ourselves

We live in a world that glorifies being “busy.”

We use it as a shield to hide behind.

“I’m too busy to write.”

“I’m too busy to build that business.”

“I’m too busy to chase that goal.”

But most of us aren’t busy.

We’re just afraid.

Afraid that we’ll fail.

Afraid we’ll be judged.

Afraid we’ll start and still feel stuck.

So instead of facing that fear head-on, we keep “waiting for the right time.”

And deep down, we know what we’re really doing.

We’re delaying. We’re hiding. We’re protecting ourselves from risk.

But here’s the harsh truth:

No amount of waiting will make the fear go away.

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Courage Over Comfort

You don’t need perfect circumstances.

You don’t need the perfect plan.

You don’t need more hours in the day.

You need courage.

Courage is what moves you forward when clarity hasn’t arrived yet.

Courage is what gets you started when you still feel unsure.

Courage is what whispers, “Do it anyway,” even when doubt is screaming in your head.

You don’t build confidence first and then take action.

It’s the opposite.

You take action — shaky, awkward, imperfect — and then confidence slowly shows up.

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A Quiet Kind of Bravery

There’s a kind of courage that doesn’t look bold at all.

It’s the quiet courage of showing up to write when your words feel clumsy.

Of going to the gym when you feel weak and out of place.

Of reaching out to someone, knowing they might not respond.

Of publishing a story with zero guarantee anyone will care.

That kind of courage?

It’s quiet. It’s lonely. It doesn’t get applause.

But it’s what builds everything.

---

The Myth of More Time

Time is not the problem.

Let’s say someone handed you 4 extra hours today.

Would you suddenly launch your idea?

Would you finally chase your passion?

Probably not — because it’s not about hours.

It’s about fear of starting.

Because starting is vulnerable.

Starting is exposing.

Starting means leaving the safety of your daydream and entering the reality of effort, rejection, and failure.

But here’s the catch:

Not starting hurts too.

It just hurts quietly.

It’s that dull ache you feel at the end of the day, knowing you could’ve done something — but didn’t.

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Start Scared, Stay Consistent

Here’s the truth no one tells you:

You’re allowed to start scared.

You’re allowed to not have it all figured out.

You’re allowed to be awkward and unsure.

What matters is that you start anyway.

Because consistency, not perfection, is what changes everything.

Write that story.

Record that video.

Launch that page.

Study that skill.

And do it again tomorrow.

And the next day.

Even if no one notices.

Even if you feel invisible.

Keep going.

Because the courage to start will take you further than waiting for the “right time” ever will.

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Final Thought

You don’t need more time.

You’ve had the time.

You’ve had the idea.

You’ve had the dream.

You just need to be brave enough to stop waiting and start doing.

Because when you finally choose courage over comfort,

you don’t just move forward…

You wake up.

You realize the only thing standing between you and the life you want — was the fear of starting messy.

So go ahead.

Start messy.

Start scared.

Start small.

But for the love of your future, start now.

advicesuccessself help

About the Creator

Zoey Laneio

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