I’m scared of looking foolish more than I’m scared of hard work

Dear Delyara, I can work very hard. I always have. The part that stops me is not effort. It’s exposure. Being seen trying something that matters and not pulling it off. Letting people witness my hope and then perhaps my disappointment. That is why I prepare too much, delay too long, and polish beginnings that should have been allowed to stay imperfect. It sounds like discipline from the outside. Often it is fear in expensive clothing. I know this about myself now. I’m still fighting it.