By Chris Heivly, Managing Director at Build The Fort and Startup Community EIR @ Techstars

I just listened to the Outsider podcast episode where Ian Hathaway chats with Brad Feld, and I heard this gem: “They can’t kill you, and they can’t eat you.” I took this concept to an interesting place: Brad’s referring to ideas and even actions — especially the kind that everyone thinks are out-of-step. You know, the ones that show up in your gut, your brain, and your dreams. The ones that stir anxiety, whisper failure, and keep you wide-eyed at 3 a.m. But they’re just things. They aren’t knives or monsters. They won’t take your life or chew off a limb.

Still, as I’ve lived with my fair share of these big, looming thoughts, I’ve come to add my own twist:

“They can’t kill you, they can’t eat you, but they sure will nibble at you for a long, long time.”

Those nibbles — man, they can wear you down. It’s the slow erosion of confidence, the weight of “what ifs,” the paralysis that builds when you think too much and act too little. I’ve been there more times than I can count. Sometimes, the anxiety is so thick you feel like you’re moving through mud.

You know it’s coming. You feel it in your bones. And that’s where the real question lies: what are you going to do with that notion?

Over the years, I’ve learned something important — not how to eliminate those feelings, but how to live with them. Ok, maybe it's more of a way to move with them. More of a don't fight the waves, go with the waves. 

In my mind, there are two steps that we need to address. First, we need to get to the place where we recognize the anxiety for what it is — a signal, not a stop sign. Then comes the second step and the harder part: getting to a place where you can thrive despite it. Every great athlete does this as well as many top executives. One success tactic is to form positive muscle memory from previous nibbles. Repeat. Repeat. Another tactic is to share your nibbles and bites with others who also think like you do. You might be amazed that you are not the first and only one confronted with this line of thinking.

It’s not about denying fear. It’s about dancing with it and realizing that everyone needs dance lessons.

Here’s your challenge today: don’t try to be fearless. Just be willing. Willing to sit with discomfort. Willing to share with others. Willing to keep going. Willing to thrive even as the edges get a little ragged.

Because they still can’t kill you. They still can’t eat you. And you, my friend, are still here.

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