When I started college, I thought I had this whole “school” thing figured out. Coming out of high school with good grades, I was the kind of kid who last minute-d everything and was able to make due.

Hard work? I hadn’t exactly met him yet.

So, when I was asked as a wide-eyed freshman to take honors-level classes, I was flattered, but also nervous. Frankly, I didn’t know if I wanted to work that hard. Despite my reluctance, there was this little voice in the back of my head urging me to push myself and do it. In spite of my growing fear, I swallowed my nerves and went for it.

And then I immediately screwed it up.

No one told me these courses weren’t meant to make up your entire schedule but to supplement a regular course load. By week one, I found myself drowning in six honors classes, each demanding two to three times the workload of a normal course. While my friends were easing into their schedules with introductions and light assignments, I was stressed to the max by the first weekend.

I felt like I got shoved into a pool and immediately started sinking. Every day, I wrestled with a nagging voice in my head: What if I can’t keep up? What if I’m not as smart as everyone thought?

That one overloaded semester set the stage for my college experience in a way I didn’t expect. GPA-wise, I never really recovered, and I had plenty of other struggles in school. But oddly enough, that period reignited my love for reading (just not for coursework, unfortunately.)

The pressure also forced me to develop a critical skill—learning how to distill big ideas into simple concepts. While I wish I’d applied it better in school, it’s a skill I’m incredibly grateful for today as It’s shaped my career and faith.

Despite how it turned out, I’m glad I listened to that little voice and didn’t let fear stop me. Taking that risk had a bigger impact than I could’ve realized at the time, directly leading to the growth I experience today.

Playing It Safe: Stagnation from Fear

Too often, fear of failure convinces us to play it safe. We think staying in our comfort zone is better than risking embarrassment, rejection, or falling short. But when we avoid stepping out, we miss opportunities to grow and fulfill the purpose God has for us.

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30 offers a striking example. The servant who buried his talent wasn’t lazy: he was afraid.

Fear of failure drove him to hide what he was given, and it cost him everything. Fear stops us from investing in the opportunities God gives us, leading to stagnation.