The Fear of Being Seen Wrong
June 29, 2025
One of the hardest parts of becoming authentic is knowing that people who never really knew you might think they do — and still judge you for it.
One of the most difficult parts of becoming more authentic — especially when I write openly, where anyone could potentially read it — is the awareness that some of those readers might be people who think they know me.
But they don’t.
Not really.
They’ve never made the effort to understand me.
Never asked the deeper questions.
Never stayed around long enough to listen without defending themselves or distorting what I shared.
And yet — here I am — feeling a flicker of unease about how they might judge me.
Why?
Because I’m human.
Because we’re wired for belonging.
Because we evolved in tribes where rejection could mean death.
So when people from my past, who haven’t earned access to the real me, hover around the edges of my vulnerability — it triggers something ancient.
🧠 But Here’s the Truth
Even though my body remembers that fear, I am entirely self-sufficient now.
Emotionally. Practically. Spiritually.
I’ve done the work — and continue to do it — to know who I am when I’m not performing, pleasing, or seeking permission.
Their misunderstanding of me no longer holds the weight it once did.
Because their version of me was never accurate to begin with.
🧘 Why I Still Choose to Share
Because there’s someone out there — maybe just one person — who feels the same flicker of fear, but keeps going anyway.
And if my honesty helps even one person feel less alone in their own becoming, it’s worth it.
Let the ones who never saw you think what they will.
Your truth isn’t theirs to contain.
If you’ve ever felt uneasy about being misunderstood by people who don’t really know you — you’re not alone.
But you are allowed to keep growing, even if others stay stuck in old versions of you.
Would you like to add a final personal note or voiceover quote to this, almost like a whisper from your future self to your current one? Something like:
“You did the brave thing anyway. And it made all the difference.”