The Fears We Inherit

Growing up, I was told a lot of things — mostly by adults, mostly my parents.

They were bound by their own experiences, the experiences that shaped the lives they live today.

But looking back, I see now that many of these lessons were just fears.
Their fears reflected onto my life.

And slowly, I started to believe them.

• You have to be great at math to work in tech.
• You can only go so far in another country because you’re not a citizen.

Maybe some of these statements were true in certain contexts. But I took them as universal truths, without questioning, without research.

As I grew older, the list of these inherited “truths” kept piling up.

It wasn’t until I passed the age of 35 that I realized most of them were just mindsets, not realities.

They’re like tiny shackles on an elephant’s leg — placed there when it was young, so it grew up believing it couldn’t break free.

Looking back, I can see how many of my decisions—or failures to decide—were shaped by these invisible chains.

Here’s the truth: they are not real.

You can find paths in this world that no one has traveled before.
Whether you actually reach the destination is irrelevant.
The only thing that matters is that you take the first step… and keep walking.

That’s all that matters.