You Are Not a Problem to Fix

By Tricia Scott

I’ve got that New Year itch.

You know the one.

It feels like wearing an uncomfortable bra all day (the kind with underwires that slowly try to ruin your life), and the moment you walk through the door and whip it off? Sweet. Bloody. Relief.

That’s what this time of year feels like to me.

And listen, this isn’t new. The internet is always screaming at us to be something else.

Buy this thing. Fix that part. Do this one thing, and then everything will change (until the next thing).

But January turns the volume all the way up. Suddenly, everyone’s got a plan for your body, your business, your mind, your habits, and I swear I’ve already worn out the “focus” button on my devices, and we’re barely out of the gates.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years, and countless January purchases and courses that I never even logged into. 

The world has a habit of dressing self-erasure up as self-improvement.

As if there’s always one more part of you that needs fixing before you’re allowed to be fully seen.

One more upgrade.
One more qualification.
One more personality tweak (spare me).

But what if we just stopped negotiating with our value? What if we remembered that we were never meant to be reduced versions of ourselves? What if, instead of scrolling to be told who to become, we let ourselves stand firmly in who we already are?

Not louder. Just… already whole.

Because choosing to honour yourself in a culture that profits from your self-doubt is the ultimate power move. 

It looks like trusting your instincts again. Like saying no without a backstory. Like moving before you have your ‘ducks in a row’.

It looks like celebrating progress instead of obsessing over what’s missing. Like letting your work reflect you, not the version you think will earn approval.

And it might feel uncomfortable at first, growth often does when it no longer involves shrinking.

But there’s freedom on the other side of that discomfort. A steadiness. A sense of coming home to yourself.

So this January, you don’t need to become someone new. You don’t need a reinvention. You need to stop abandoning yourself.

You don’t need to earn your place.
You don’t need to refine your worth.
You don’t need to wait until you feel “ready.”

You’re allowed to take up space exactly as you are.

And if that disrupts expectations?

Good. You’re doing it right. 

I believe in you (always).

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 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.