I want to start something new, but I'm afraid of failure
I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
"I want to start something new."
Maybe a side job.
Maybe studying for a certification.
Maybe a hobby.
Maybe changing careers.
YouTube.
A blog.
Working out.
Investing.
I've always been interested.
But,
I just can't seem to take that first step.
Why?
The reason is simple.
I'm afraid of failure.
I might waste money.
I might waste time.
I might be laughed at.
I might not be able to keep it up.
When I was younger, I could just dive in on impulse.
But in my 30s and 40s,
I only think about the risks of failing.
And in the end,
"Maybe next time"
I say, and the year ends.
I want to talk about that today.
⸻
The older you get, the more you fear failure
This is only natural.
You have more to protect.
You have a job.
You have a family.
You have responsibilities.
Unlike when you were young,
you can no longer think,
"If it doesn't work out, I'll just try again."
That's why you become cautious.
But,
being cautious isn't a bad thing in itself.
The problem is,
becoming too cautious,
and not being able to start anything at all.
⸻
We think too much about failure
I want you to think about it carefully.
If you start studying for a certification,
will your life end if you quit halfway through?
If you start a blog,
will you go bankrupt if no one reads it?
If you don't keep up with working out,
will you lose your social standing?
In most cases,
the answer is "NO."
Actually,
many of the failures we fear,
are not life-threatening.
It's a little embarrassing.
It's a little bit of a detour.
That's about it.
⸻
What's truly scary is not "failure"
Personally, I think.
What's truly scary,
is not failing.
It's letting time pass without starting anything.
5 years from now.
10 years from now.
"I wish I had done it back then."
That regret,
lasts longer than the pain of failure.
⸻
Successful people are not people who don't failWhen you look at successful people,
they seem to have special talents.
But in reality, that's not the case.
They have tried more times.
They have failed more times.
They have kept going more times.
That's often all it is.
There are almost no people,
who succeed from the very beginning.
⸻
So, what should you do?This is the main point.
⸻
1. Don't aim for success from the startThis is the most important thing.
You get scared because you think you have to succeed.
First,
"Just give it a try"
is enough.
If it doesn't suit you, you can quit.
That's enough.
⸻
2. Start smallDon't start big right away.
You don't need to spend 100,000 yen.
You don't need to work hard for 3 hours every day.
10 minutes a day.
1,000 yen.
Once a week.
That's enough.
If you start small,
the damage will be minimal even if you fail.
⸻
3. Value "is it fun?" over "am I suited for it?"You won't know if you have talent,
unless you try.
But,
you can tell right away if it's fun.
The things you continue,
are ultimately the things you like.
⸻
4. Don't compare yourself to othersWhen you look at social media,
everyone looks amazing.
But,
they were beginners once too.
The person you should compare yourself to is not others,
but yourself yesterday.
⸻
Recently, these books gave me a pushI want to start something,
but I'm too scared to move.
I want to introduce some books that helped me when I felt that way.
[Amazon Associate Link]
"The Elephant Who Grants Dreams1" (Keiya Mizuno)A book that hits home for people who can't take action.
You can read it while laughing,
but by the time you finish, you'll strangely want to start something.
⸻
[Amazon Associate Link]
"Essentialism" (Greg McKeown)Recommended for people who are tired,
thinking "I have to do this and that."
You can learn a way of thinking that focuses on what's truly important.
⸻
[Amazon Associate Link]
"The Courage to Be Disliked" (Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga)Especially recommended for those who fear failure,
or care too much about what others think.
It's a book that changes your way of thinking itself.
⸻
FinallyI want to start something new.
But I'm afraid of failure.
I understand that feeling very well.
As you get older,
it becomes scarier to accept yourself for having failed,
than to fail itself.
But,
someone who has failed,
is at least someone who has tried.
For those who did nothing,
there is no success or failure.
And,
life is surprisingly long.
Even in your 30s.
Even in your 40s.
Even in your 50s.
It's not too late to start something new.
Rather,
because you have the experience you've gained so far,
sometimes you can take on challenges better than when you were young.
So,
you don't have to try to change your life all at once.
You don't have to set big dreams.
First,
try taking a small step.
That step,
might be the day you look back on a few years from now,
and think it was a turning point in your life.
And even if you fail,
it's okay.
That experience,
will surely be more interesting,
than a life where you did nothing.
⸻
*This article contains affiliate links. The products introduced are posted based on their relevance to the article content.