Picking the safe option isn’t cowardly if you know what you’re protecting.

Caution gets a bad name because from the outside it looks identical to being scared. The difference is internal, and it is whether you can name what the safe option is protecting. Taking fewer classes so you pass all of them, or keeping the steady job because somebody is depending on the money, is a decision with a reason behind it. Avoiding everything because risk is uncomfortable is a different thing in the same coat.

When you take the careful route, finish the sentence out loud: I am protecting this. If you cannot name it, the safety might just be habit. If you can, stop apologizing for it.