Your life’s dilemma is made up of everything you’ve been refusing all along—the things you dare not want, dare not do, and dare not face. Your brain always prefers to lock away the things that make you feel afraid, hesitant, and uncomfortable, believing that if you avoid them you’ll be safe. But everything you refuse to accept will eventually turn back on you, retaliating in the form of anxiety, paranoia, and self-doubt.

The way to break through isn’t avoidance or confrontation, but acceptance and moving ahead. What you refuse is often not the difficulty itself, but the opportunity for growth and the possibility for change. You may be able to evade a period of suffering for a while, but you’ll end up trapping yourself in a narrow gap—day after day—watching time slip by, watching opportunities run out, watching yourself slowly become the very person you once hated the most.

Go into your fear. Do the thing you’re afraid of—that is the best way to break through.