Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.

Most of what holds you back is not ignorance about what you could become. You already carry a fairly accurate picture of it, and it sits there unattended. What tends to be missing is a person whose presence makes that picture feel plausible rather than embarrassing. Being seen clearly does more work than advice ever does.

Notice who you are slightly better around, and arrange to be near them more often. Then turn it over, because someone in your life is quietly waiting to be taken seriously by you. Tell them this week what you can see in them that they keep discounting.