Why is it so scary to dream big?

Rapid heartbeat, heavy breathing, and chills. Fear is one heck of an emotion.

Our poor mammalian brain is wired to be afraid of what it can’t predict, and taking the risk of following a big dream is exactly that, an avalanche of uncertainty.

But what about it’s so scary? Is there something in breaking the mold that is in itself dangerous?

I’ve spent countless hours thinking about it as I try to rationalize my fear of following a big dream of my own.

I’ve concluded that the fear I feel when I pursue my dream truly is the fear of standing out. 

I think this fear is rooted in my understanding of how nature works, where the law seems to be, that to survive, you have to blend in, camouflage, and go unnoticed.

So it would be only primal for us to be afraid to stand out, fueled by an animal instinct that is trying to protect us. This is because standing out means being visible and noticeable, a potential target for predators.

My rational brain knows I’m lucky enough that my predators are likely to be critics and haters, not lions and bears, but that doesn’t make the fear of making mistakes out in the open any less real. You can’t out-reason the logic behind the fear, but you can act despite it.

I found that nothing helps me get out of the fear of standing out than focusing instead on my fear of regrets. Nothing is more terrifying for me than arriving at the end of my life and regretting what could have been if I had not been so afraid to pursue my big dream.

Is it healthy to swap one fear for another? I have my doubts, but it helps me trust that whatever failure looks like, it won’t feel as bad for me as the regret of not trying, which makes the fear and risk worth it.