Elias lived in the "almosts." He almost spoke up in meetings; he almost asked his neighbor for coffee; he almost felt like the person he saw in his bathroom mirror. To the world, he was a silent shadow in a grey cubicle, but inside, his mind was a riot of "what-ifs" and "not-yets."
This is a draft story titled focusing on a character who discovers the power of their own mind to overcome a personal hurdle. The Quiet Architect Practical Guide to Self Hypnosis
: He chose a single point on the wall—a small, uneven notch in the plaster—and fixed his gaze. He breathed deeply, letting the tension in his shoulders dissolve like salt in water. Elias lived in the "almosts