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- THURSDAY: THE PROVOCATION
The gatekeeper you've been waiting on? It's you.
You don't need a plan.
You need permission.
And guess what? You're the one withholding it.
All this time, you've been standing outside the gate to your own life, waiting for someone to hand you the keys. Waiting for someone to say, "Yes, you're qualified." "Yes, you're ready." "Yes, it's okay to want what you want."
But here's the confrontation you've been avoiding:
The only person keeping you out is you.
Every excuse sounds the same: "I can't do it unless someone tells me it's okay." "I need more experience." "I should wait until I'm more prepared." "What if people think I'm not qualified?"
What if your delay isn't about fear—but control?
What if staying small was easier than risking public failure? What if asking for permission was just a way to avoid responsibility for your own choices?
What if "I can't" is usually code for "I won't"?
Challenge accepted?
The bars aren't on the outside. There's no approval committee deciding your fate. There's no cosmic permission slip that needs to be signed before you can pursue what matters to you.
You're holding the keys.
You've always been holding the keys.
The hard truth: You don't need anyone's approval to live boldly. You just need the courage to stop requiring it.
The uncomfortable question: What would you start today if you knew no one was watching? What would you pursue if you didn't need anyone to validate the choice?
That's your answer.
The gatekeeper, the permission-giver, the authority you've been waiting for—it was always you.
Stop waiting on yourself.
WORK WITH STEPHEN Ready to join 500+ people who stopped asking permission and started taking action? Join our private Facebook community - "The 5 Minute Tribe" - where we share wins, bold moves, and strategies that don't fit in the newsletter.
Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the decision that something else matters more.
P.S. The scariest moment of my transformation wasn't the first mile - it was admitting I'd been the one stopping myself all along. What are you finally ready to admit?