There are moments in life — quiet ones, lonely ones, even terrifying ones — where standing alone feels like too much. I’ve been there. Maybe you have, too. Times when the path ahead is unclear, when fear outshouts hope, and when the doubt in your own heart starts to sound louder than your dreams.
That’s when I come back to this truth: I am the wilderness.
This phrase isn’t just poetic. It’s a lifeline, a compass, a challenge, and a comfort all at once. It reminds me that the strength I need is already within me, even when everything around me feels uncertain. Even when people tell me I can’t. Even when I start to believe it myself.
Standing Alone Isn’t the Same as Being Lost
There have been countless times in my life when I’ve chosen to walk a harder path because it was the right one—right for my heart, right for my soul, even if it wasn’t easy or popular or well-lit.
And there have been times when I didn’t choose at all. Life chose for me. A betrayal. A breakup. A change I didn’t see coming. And suddenly, I found myself in what felt like a wilderness — alone, directionless, vulnerable. But in that space, stripped of expectations and noise, something incredible happened: I started to hear my own voice again. And it said, “Keep going.”
“Don’t Do It. You Don’t Have What It Takes.”
We’ve all heard it in some form, haven’t we? Maybe it came from someone you trusted. Or maybe it came from your inner critic. Either way, it’s the voice that whispers when you’re on the edge of something meaningful—something that demands courage—and it tries to talk you down.
But the truth is, courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage is walking into the unknown with the fear, but refusing to let it have the final say.
Whenever I hear that voice telling me I can’t, I now pause, breathe deep, and respond not with logic or proof, but with identity: I am the wilderness.
The Wilderness Is Not Empty. It’s Alive.
We tend to associate the wilderness with being lost, alone, and exposed. But what if we flipped the perspective? The wilderness isn’t barren. It’s raw. It’s untamed. It’s beautiful. It’s alive.
When I say I am the wilderness, I mean I am unfiltered. I am resilient. I am the kind of strong that grows roots in rocky soil and learns how to bloom anyway.
I don’t need to be understood by everyone to be valid. I don’t need to prove myself to deserve my space in this world. My worth isn’t up for negotiation.
Reaching Into the Wild Heart
There’s a wild heart inside all of us. A voice that knows when it’s time to stop shrinking, apologizing, or waiting for someone else to say “you’re ready.”
Reaching into that heart means reconnecting with your truth. It means claiming your story, especially the hard chapters. It means walking forward with no map, but full trust in your ability to find your way — step by step, even when your knees shake.
For me, this has looked like setting boundaries, starting over, and staying soft in a world that rewards hard edges. It’s meant letting go of people who didn’t see me clearly and choosing myself anyway.
You Already Have What It Takes
If you’re reading this and you’re in your version of the wilderness, I want you to know: You are not weak for being afraid. You are not behind for still figuring it out. And you are not alone.
The world may try to shrink you or steer you toward the familiar. But you—yes, you—carry the wilderness inside you.
So the next time you feel that wave of doubt rising, plant your feet, hold your gaze, and remember who you are.
You are the wilderness.
