What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

42, terrified, and doing it anyway

I’ve been feeling scared lately.

And in this case, the fear is very much self-induced.

After 18 years in Singapore, my husband and I are embarking on a year-long adventure to Latin America.

Just us, our laptops, and whatever fits in my brand new, sparkling suitcase (yes, suitcase. I’m way too old for backpacking).

The last few weeks have been absolutely mental.

Organising the trip, getting our home ready for tenants, sorting out 18 years of accumulated life admin.

I’ve been so caught up in the logistics, so tunnel-visioned on the to-do list, that I forgot to feel anything about it at all.

Then my husband put on some Netflix show about street food in South America.

And suddenly I remembered: Oh shit! This is actually happeniiiiing! And it’s going to be brilliant!

We love travelling. Getting lost in cities where we can’t read the signs. Eating food we can’t pronounce. Stumbling through conversations in languages we barely speak.

But here’s the thing about being so focused on the next task. You forget to zoom out. You forget to see the bigger picture. You forget WHY you’re doing this thing in the first place.

And in my case, I also forgot to be scared.

Because let’s be real: I’m 42 years old. I’m about to take my toothbrush and my laptop and dive into the complete unknown.

I’m going to explore an entire new continent with embarrassingly basic Spanish and absolutely no plan beyond “let’s see where this takes us”.

That’s both terribly exciting and absolutely terrifying.

But I’m doing it anyway.

The curious case of fearlessness

I keep putting myself in these situations. Where I’m doing something for the very first time.

DJing in front of what seemed like a million people at the Singapore Grand Prix. My career transition. Launching this newsletter and podcast. And now this.

I’d love to tell you I’ve got some exceptional character trait. Some secret formula for courage.

But honestly? I haven’t figured out where this comes from.

Maybe it’s a sense of adventure. Maybe it’s curiosity. Maybe it’s that annoying voice that whispers “but what if?”. Maybe it’s the need to prove to myself and the world that I can.

Or maybe, just maybe, the fear of regret is bigger than the fear of the unknown.

Here’s what I do know

Your brain is designed to keep you safe, not to make you happy.

That little voice warning you about everything that could go wrong? That’s your amygdala doing its job.

It’s trying to protect you from threats that, let’s be honest, probably don’t exist anymore. (When was the last time you were chased by a wild animal??)

According to neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, our fear responses haven’t evolved as fast as our world has changed.

We’re running ancient software on modern problems.

Which means that feeling scared doesn’t always mean you shouldn’t do the thing.

Sometimes it just means your brain is being a little dramatic.

Growth lives on the other side of comfort.

(I know, I know, it sounds like an inspo bumper sticker. But it’s also true.)

And courage isn’t the absence of fear.

It’s feeling the fear and taking the step anyway.

So here’s my question for you: What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Not in some perfect future when you’ve got it all figured out.

Not when you’re ready (spoiler: you’ll never feel ready).

Not when the conditions are ideal.

But right now. This week. TODAY!

What would become possible if you were fearless, or even just pretending to be fearless?

What’s one small, scared step you could take towards something that excites and terrifies you in equal measure?

Try this:

• Write down one thing that scares you. Just one. Don’t overthink it.

• Now make it smaller.

  • If “quit my job” scares you, what’s the version that’s 1% of that?

  • Maybe “update my LinkedIn profile” or “have one coffee chat with someone in a different industry”

• Do that 1% thing this week.

Because here’s the truth: you don’t need to have it all worked out.

You don’t need to be fearless.

You don’t need to know how it’s going to turn out.

You just need to be willing to start.

And maybe that’s enough.

With love,

Noemie x

P.S. I’ll be writing to you from various corners of Latin America over the next year. It’s going to be messy, probably chaotic, and I’ll likely have some spectacular failures to share. Can’t wait.

P.S.S: Any travel tips or must-see spots welcome!

---