Nancy
Here’s what we don’t do nearly enough. We don’t look at the cost of staying stuck.
Is the life you’re clinging to actually sustainable? Maybe from the outside it looks successful, but you know the truth.
Welcome to the Nancy Levin Show. I’m Nancy Levin, founder of Levin Life Coach Academy, bestselling author, master coach, and your host.
I help overachieving people pleasers, set boundaries that stick and own self-worth, anchored in empowered action so you can feel free. Plus, if you’re an aspiring or current coach, you are in the right place. Join me each week for coaching and compelling conversations designed to support you in the spotlight as you take center stage of your own life.
Let’s dive in.
Nancy
Welcome back to the Nancy Levin Show. I am absolutely thrilled to be here with you today for a milestone: Episode 200.
Two hundred episodes of transformation; of deep diving into the stories and beliefs and shifts that allow us to live our most authentic and aligned lives.
And today’s episode is a big one because if you are here, I know you’re someone who has asked yourself at least once and maybe a hundred times: “What if I make this big change and my life is worse than before?”
Whether it’s leaving a career you’ve worked so hard to build, walking away from a relationship that no longer feels right or even just admitting to yourself that the life you’ve created isn’t the life you want anymore, the fear of regret can keep you stuck.
So today we’re breaking it all down.
Why? The fear of regret is really the fear of the unknown.
How staying in what’s familiar is already costing you more than you realize. And how to shift from feeling like you’re starting over to understanding that you’re actually reinventing from a place of experience and wisdom.
By the end of this episode, you will feel empowered to trust yourself and to see the possibility and potential in front of you instead of feeling trapped by fear.
So let’s dive in.
I hear it all the time, this deep gripping fear of “what if I make this big change and then I regret it?”
And I get it. I have been there.
There is this illusion that regret is something we need to avoid at all costs. That it’s this dark, looming monster waiting to punish us for making the wrong choice. But here’s the truth.
Regret is often a projection of our fear of the unknown, not a reflection of reality. Regret isn’t about the past, it’s about the fear of an unknown future.
So think about it, when you consider making a big shift, your mind starts spinning all these worst case scenarios.
What if I leave my job and can’t find another one?
What if I end my marriage and realize I miss them?
What if I start over and fail?
But I invite you to pause for a moment here.
How often do we ask ourselves the opposite?
What if I leave this job and find something that energizes me every day?
What if I leave my marriage and actually feel more alive, more at peace, more in love with my own life?
What if I step into something new and realize it was the best decision I ever made?
Staying stuck in a life that feels safe, but unfulfilling often leads to a deeper regret.
The regret of never giving yourself the chance to create a life that truly fulfills you.
I invite you to take a deep breath here and ask yourself, what’s the bigger risk?
Stepping into the unknown?
Or staying where you are and never knowing what was possible for you?
This is where the shift begins. Now, I know change feels scary, feels risky.
It’s unpredictable. And when faced with uncertainty, our brain loves to convince us that staying put is the safe choice.
So you might be telling yourself things like, I only have five more years until I can retire with a pension.
I’ve already been in this marriage for 18 years. It’s too late to start over.
Now, I’m 53. Building a new business at this age feels too daunting.
And I, I won’t lie to you. Those thoughts feel real. They feel true. But here’s what we don’t do nearly enough. We don’t look at the cost of staying stuck.
So let’s talk about that cost.
The emotional exhaustion of pushing through something that drains you every single day.
The resentment that builds when you ignore your own needs. The loss of identity that happens when you stay in a role that no longer fits.
The disconnection from yourself that creeps in when you prioritize other people’s expectations over your own truth. This is the price tag of staying where you are.
So I ask you, is the life you’re clinging to actually sustainable?
Maybe from the outside it looks successful. Maybe on paper it checks all the boxes, but. you know the truth.
If you are burned out, if you’re feeling like a shell of yourself, if you’re constantly fantasizing about a different life, but telling yourself it’s too late or too risky, then I promise you the cost of staying is already higher.
The cost of leaving, and let’s be honest, the number one regret of the dying as laid out for us wasn’t, I wish I had played it safer.
It’s this: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
So consider this your permission slip to stop waiting.
Now let’s talk about the biggest fear that comes up when you’re standing on the edge of change. What if I lose everything I’ve worked so hard for? That fear makes sense.
But here’s the thing. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.
You’re starting from wisdom, from clarity about what you don’t want.
You’re starting from a place of knowing yourself more deeply than you ever have before. This isn’t about throwing everything away.
This is about reinvention. And reinvention doesn’t mean failure.
Reinvention means returning to the essence of the truth of who you are before you began packaging yourself to be palatable to everyone around you.
So instead of focusing on the fear of failure, I invite you to focus on this.
What if this is the moment you set yourself free?
What if instead of seeing this as a risk, you see it as an opportunity, an opportunity to reclaim your time, your energy, your joy, and your authenticity.
I love this poem by Anais Nin called Risk:
And then the day came.
When the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
This is your moment to blossom.
And listen, I know how scary this can feel, but I also know that on the other side of fear is freedom.
So if you are ready to trade your successful life on paper for a life that is deeply fulfilling for you, if you’re ready to stop people pleasing, to stop playing small and start stepping into your fullest self.
I have a couple of spots open for private coaching with me. And this is for you. If you are ready to get clear on what’s next for you and step into your future with confidence, simply visit nancy levin.com/talk. Schedule a complimentary conversation and we’ll explore if we’re fit. Because you don’t have to do this alone.
We can do this together. Your next chapter is waiting for you.
So here’s to you and your reinvention.
Thanks so much for joining me today. I invite you to head on over to nancy levin.com to check out all the goodies I have there for you. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and a review.
I’ll meet you back here next week.