Wendy is the Purpose Partner helping women go from Crossroads to Confidence, from Shaken to Unshakable, from Purpose to Power. To learn more visit WendyGladney.com and ForgivingForLiving.org.

Upland, CA — As we step into a new year, many of us are filled with anticipation of new goals, fresh possibilities, and quiet hopes for what is ahead. But alongside that hope often comes something less visible, something we do not always talk about. A lingering fear. A hidden doubt. A shadow. Shadows have a way of following us into new seasons if we do not address them. They hover quietly in the background, shaping our choices, influencing our confidence, and sometimes holding us hostage without our realizing it. They are not always dramatic or obvious. More often, they show up as subtle questions we ask ourselves late at night: Am I really ready? Am I qualified? What if I fail? What if I am not enough?

Shadows form when something blocks the light. And in our lives, what blocks the light is often fear. The fear of being seen, fear of being judged, fear of stepping fully into who we were created to be. As we venture into a new year, it is worth pausing to ask an honest question: What is lurking in my shadow? For many people, the shadow takes the form of old insecurities or unspoken doubts. It may be the fear of starting over, the memory of past disappointment, or the pressure to meet expectations that were never truly yours. Sometimes the shadow is a secret belief you have carried quietly for years, that you are behind, that you missed your moment, or that you need one more thing before you can move forward.

For a long time, one of the shadows that lingered in the back of my own mind centered around my education and credentials. I found myself wondering if my life experience, professional journey, and undergraduate degree from UCLA were truly enough. I questioned whether my words would matter more if I went back to school to earn a Master’s degree or even a PhD. Somewhere along the way, the shadow suggested that without more letters behind my name, my voice might not carry weight. That shadow did not announce itself loudly. It whispered. And whispers can be dangerous, because we often accept them as truth without challenging them. Over time, I came to understand something that shifted everything for me: education is valuable, but wisdom is not limited to formal degrees. Life itself is a teacher. Experience teaches. Loss teaches. Healing teaches. Leadership teaches. Walking alongside others through their most difficult seasons teaches. When you have lived, learned, fallen, risen, and chosen to keep going, you carry insight that cannot be measured by a transcript. The shadow was never questioning my capability it was questioning my confidence.

And here is what I now know to be true: shadows cannot hurt us. They have no power of their own. They only have the power we give them. They seem large because we avoid looking directly at them. But the moment we turn toward them, when we name them, examine them, and bring them into the light they begin to shrink. Light has a way of doing that. When light touches fear, fear loses its grip. When light touches insecurity, insecurity loses its authority. When light touches old narratives, those narratives lose control. So many people find themselves stuck at a crossroads not because they lack ability, but because they have allowed a shadow to convince them they are unprepared. Dreams get delayed. Callings get postponed. Voices remain silent. Not because the path is not available but because the shadow has exaggerated its size. As you step into this new year, I want to invite you into a deeper kind of reflection. Not just What do I want to do next, but what do I need to bring into the light? What fear have you been avoiding? What belief about yourself needs to be challenged? What shadow has been quietly influencing your decisions?

You are more prepared than you think. You are more capable than you feel. You are more qualified than the shadow suggests. And perhaps most importantly, you are enough right now, as you are. This does not mean you stop growing, learning, or stretching yourself. It means you stop disqualifying yourself from the journey. It means you stop waiting for permission to become who you already are. Shadows disappear when light shows up. So let this be the year you stop running from what is lurking in the shadow and start illuminating it with truth, courage, and grace. Let this be the year you trust your story, reclaim your voice, and move forward unshaken.