I owe it to myself to reach for the stars

Here’s to choosing a life of endless possibility.

In life, I’ve often succumbed to very limiting beliefs about myself. 

Some of these beliefs have manifested themselves as imposter syndrome, which means that I am constantly surveilling myself with great intensity, waiting until I am “found out” as a fraud by others. I feel this in my work life, academics, and even in my familial and platonic relationships. Other times, these beliefs are betrayed in my chronic procrastination, when I put off a task out of the belief that it’s too hard, and that I can’t rise up to the challenge. Still, on other occasions, I have said things to myself like, “Sometimes, I imagine the person I could have become in life if only I didn’t have… [insert any given negative event, experience, or setback].” 

I have found it so easy to numb my way through life because that feels familiar. Believe it or not, success and this sense of greatness do not feel natural for me. It’s so much easier for me to remain in the monotony of unrealized potential and avoid the risk of failure than it is to actually take that wild leap into the unknown. It’s so much easier for me to self-sabotage than actually chase after the seemingly impossible, which is what will truly make my very being soar beyond its capacities. 

But in the past couple of weeks, I have been making a really important, life-changing mindset shift regarding what’s possible for me on this side of heaven. I am choosing to write a new narrative for myself. My weaknesses and struggles in life are not what define me. I get to define me. I get to make the choice to step forward with intentionality. I get to write this story. I get to look this fallen world in the eyes, and say, “No, I will not settle, I will not hold myself back, and I will not stay comfortable. I will reach for the stars, I will live out my wildest dreams, and I will go far beyond everything that has once threatened to break me.” 

In this new journey of self-transcendence that I’m on, I’m trying to show others that they, too, can do this. In chasing my dreams, I want to show others that their weaknesses and difficulties do not have the last word. Not only will I leave behind a life that echoes resilience, passion, effort, and love, but I’m trying to take others with me. 

As I conclude, a quote from Tennessee Williams comes to mind: “I want to infect you with the tremendous excitement of living, because I believe that you have the strength to bear it.”

—Mini essay by Samantha Arden Lockheart

Date // 02. March 2026

@LockheartArdenPublishing