Don’t hold yourself back because you’re afraid of the unknown. Even though it’s risky to make any sort of change to your life, it’s better than the alternative. You don’t want to end up in a rut, feeling miserable and unfulfilled. You don’t want to end up remaining in your comfort zone for too long when it’s been growing more and more uncomfortable by the day. You don’t want to end up thwarting your potential because you’re too scared to take a chance on yourself.
Don’t hold yourself back because you’re hoping your current situation will magically change for the better. If someone keeps making promises to you – whether it’s your boyfriend or your boss – and those promises never end up coming true, then you can’t rely on them to follow through. You can’t expect them to give you what they swore they would give. They can only procrastinate for so long before it becomes perfectly clear that they aren’t actually going to keep their word, that you aren’t going to get what you wanted all along.
Don’t hold yourself back because you’re concerned about who you would be leaving behind in the process. The people who love you want what’s best for you. They want you to be happy. If you have to travel away from your family or quit a job where you have plenty of friends, they’ll understand. They’ll be there for you. They might not see you every single day anymore, but they’ll still keep in touch. Your friendship doesn’t have to end.
Don’t hold yourself back because a part of you feels like you don’t deserve success. You have to stop listening to the nasty voice in the back of your head. You have to stop treating yourself as if you’re worthless. You matter. And you’re going to make something of yourself. You have to leave behind your pessimistic, self-deprecating attitude and replace it with an optimistic, self-respecting one. You have to start speaking to yourself with more kindness. You have to start believing you deserve the world.
Don’t hold yourself back because you feel like you’re already behind, like you already lost your chance at happiness, like there’s no hope for you. It’s never too late to follow your dreams. You have to stop comparing yourself to everyone around you because it’s a dangerous game to play. It doesn’t matter how far along your friends are with their relationships or their careers. You have to keep your focus on your own path, your own successes, your own aspirations. Keep going. Keep trying. Keep believing.
Don’t hold yourself back because putting in the effort to overhaul your life seems like too big of a challenge. You don’t have to make massive changes overnight. You don’t have to quit your job on a whim and buy a plane ticket. You can start small. You can alter your habits. You can take risks. You can decide you are worth the effort, worth the time, worth the attention. You can launch yourself forward after spending such a long time holding yourself back. 
