You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. Do the thing you think you cannot do.
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Here is a Fact. You can do it, and it doesn’t matter what “it” is. Fear is a momentarily feeling. Consider when you took your drivers’ test. I remember being nervous. I felt I should have studied more, that I would fail, or cause an accident. However I did obtain my license.
Immediately after I thought how silly I was to worry about something that turned out to be so simpe. I think life can be simple; we just like to imagine the worst and make it complicated.
If you are ready to take those first steps to change and do something you’ve always wanted to do, here are my 5 tips to help and encourage you.
- You will never feel like you have enough information.
This is okay and very normal. Everyone is a noobie at some point in their life, and had to learn along the way. You can attempt to research and study to prepare yourself to make an informed decision, however experience is the best way to learn something.
The fact is the best you can do is plan the destination. The path that you take to get there is out of your hands. The what-ifs you imagine in your head most likely won’t be the obstacles you have to overcome. It will be something you never considered, and you will have to trouble shoot to fix, but you can do it!
- You might make mistakes.
Mistakes are great, provided you keep a positive mindset. Don’t look at them as dead ends, they aren’t. They are learning experiences to help you grow.
Success isn’t defined by perfection. It is hard work, determination, and our ability to learn from past mistakes.
Celebrate your achievement, but also identify you problems, and fix them. While you may not be great at something now, that doesn’t mean given time you can’t be.
- There is no such thing as being wrong.
I personally believe that choices we make, get us were we need to go, and change us into the people that we need to become. It’s like that song, “You don’t always get what you want, but you’ll get what you need.”
Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. It is human nature to want to avoid the possibility of hurt and pain and to err on the side of caution.
However if you never go out and do anything, it is sure that you aren’t going to move forward. Change only happens when you take chances. Sometime the outcome isn’t what we envisioned, but that doesn’t mean that it is bad.
I joined twitter, as a way to promote and to create a buzz, and so far it has been a bust. I’m doing all the things you’re supposed to do; but my followers are only double digits. However, I consider it a great success, because it has connected me with incredible people, and groups. There are a lot of opportunities to be had when you engage.
You never know what where something might lead. Perhaps it is a stepping stone to something better.
- It will be hard!
Nothing worth having is going to come easy. However I think the idea of hard is exaggerated. I’ve never come across something I couldn’t do, and I am 100% sure that the same can be said about you.
You might not be able to do it right away, but you can learn. You might not be able to do it perfectly, but you can try. You might find it challenging, but maybe that will be enjoyable.
I started youtube, and I was naïve. I read about what needed to be done to make a video, but until I did It, I didn’t realize how much work was involved, behind the scenes. It is time consuming and frustrating, but I love every part of it.
This can be the same for you as well. You just need to try!
- What if I fail?
If you try something and fail, that in itself is an accomplishment. There are people who see things as impossible or can’t get passed their own fear to try. So if you get to the point of failing you have two options.
Give up
I don’t recommend this.
Try again
The success story is very seductive for reason. Determination and perseverance are qualities that we all want to have, but we never consider the down side. The people who are determined and persevere aren’t people who don’t fail. They are the ones who never gave up. That is the ONLY difference between you and them.
JK Rowling submitted Harry Potter and it got rejected, a lot. She kept submitting, and now everyone knows her name and her story. You know those publishing agents are kicking themselves.
That could be your story.
- Bonus: What if you try it and it turns out you aren’t interested?
Sometimes when you take that chance, you discover that the idea was better than the reality. Maybe the work load is just too time consuming, it isn’t enjoyable and you dread doing it, or maybe this endeavor will be a stepping stone to your true passion.
My own experience has taught me that life very rarely goes the way I want it to, however the destination is always amazing, and I am glad that I did it.
I hope these help you out and encourage you to do the things you want to do.
Tot ziens mijn appelsiens,
~Kathryn DeSinaasappelen
p.s. I’ve followed my own advice and started youtube, something I’ve wanted to do for 11 years. Check out my first Video!