A few days ago, I put out a flyer for a virtual writing course. I had been planning and overanalyzing it for far longer than I’d like to admit. It was supposed to happen last year, but I did a remarkable job of convincing myself—in the conference room of my mind—that I was too busy to pull it off. Sure, I was busy, but my screen time told a different story: there was more than enough time to spare.

Self-rejection is sneaky. Often, you don’t realize you’re self-rejecting until it’s over—until you’re on the other side, drenched in the slime of your own betrayal. It would be easier to spot if it always showed up loud and aggressive, dressed in garish colors. But self-rejection is often subtler, cloaked in concern. Concern for your health. Concern for your sanity. Yet, if you tear through that facade, you’ll often find fear staring back at you, irritated by your boldness.

Before you say, “Not me,” remember the last time you talked yourself out of attending an event with what seemed like a solid reason. Or the time you turned down a collaboration.

Yes, there are times when saying “no” is essential for your well-being. But as powerful as the word can be, if it’s laced with fear, it’s self-rejection. Did you turn down the collaboration because it genuinely didn’t align with your journey, or was it because your mind couldn’t handle the discomfort of navigating uncharted waters?

I’ve found that superimposing fear with faith is an invaluable tool for overcoming self-imposed roadblocks. Examine every resistance, every “I can’t.” Dig deep into your refusals and see what the shovel brings up. If fear is hiding at the root, it’s time to lean into faith. Let your faith stand so tall it dwarfs your fear—that’s how you live boldly.

Lately, my favorite phrase has been: “Disrupt yourself.”

Take a moment to let that sink in. Think of a tree—it remains rooted and unchanged unless external factors, like the wind or a storm, challenge it to grow stronger or shift its direction. Many of us are like that tree—stuck in place, either withering away or merely existing without real growth. When will you disrupt yourself? When will you let faith uproot your complacency and plant you firmly in the soil of your destiny?

This year, I’ll be writing a lot about faith because it’s the missing weapon in so many of our arsenals. Faith isn’t just a feeling; it’s a force. It starts within, grows stronger, and becomes unstoppable. Faith rewrites centuries of loss. Faith redirects us to the lives we were meant to live, the scripts written long before we were born.

Looking back, I could have sworn I wasn’t self-rejecting when I postponed the course last year—even though several people were in my DMs asking for it. I genuinely thought I was doing what was best for me. But in retrospect, I see fear crouching at the root of what I’d labeled “reason.”

When I finally announced the course a few days ago, I was nearly paralyzed with anxiety, checking my socials over and over. It wasn’t until three people made payments within hours of the announcement that I finally exhaled. In that moment, it became clear: fear had been the reason I didn’t do it last year. I had self-rejected. Wait, what? I thought I was done with impostor syndrome. Wow.

Your own moments of self-rejection may be more obvious—or far subtler—but you owe it to yourself to live up to your full potential. Examine your yeses and nos. Where you find fear, counter with faith. Remember, God has called us to walk by faith, not by sight. That’s it. That’s the formula.

This year, boldly declare “the things that be not as if they were”. Shock your anxiety into submission. Let your faith be so audacious it leaves fear shaking in its boots.

With loads and loads of love,

Odinakachi Nwonu💚