By imitating the mindset of successful people, I became able to take a 'step' forward even when I was scared

Last night, these were the first three lines of a newsletter I opened on a whim.
By the time I finished reading, my heart was quietly stirred.

I haven't achieved anything yet.
My work isn't going as I'd hoped, and my side business hasn't produced any results either.
Even so, somewhere inside, I thought, 'I can't change if I stay like this.'

That was when these words from the author caught my eye.

Honestly, I was skeptical at first.
But even after I closed the page, these words wouldn't leave my head.

What is the 'order of thinking'?
Is it really possible for life to change because of something like that, rather than luck or willpower?

Before I knew it, that question remained within me.

[Part 1] People who can replicate success have a 'philosophy'

In the newsletter, the author presented two hypotheses.

One was 'you can succeed because you have money'.
The other was 'successful people have their own philosophy'.

I thought it was the former without hesitation.

If you have money, you can try again as many times as you want.
You can run ads and hire people.

That is what I believed.

However, the story of the American show 'Undercover Billionaire' that the author introduced changed my way of thinking.

With only 100 dollars and a truck in hand, the goal was to build a million-dollar business from scratch under a fake name.

The protagonist is an entrepreneur named Glenn Stearns.
He is the person who founded one of America's largest mortgage companies.

In the show, he took on the challenge while sealing away his fame and connections.

I couldn't believe it at first.
But as I continued reading, I was able to understand it little by little.

What he was using wasn't 'money,' but a 'way of thinking.'

Reading this sentence, it somehow made sense to me.

It seems Stearns has 11 philosophies for success.
Among them, what left an impression on me was,

'Find a buyer and match their needs'
'Business begins with NO'

What both have in common is that 'the person who moves first grabs the opportunity.'

I always thought, 'I'll move once I'm prepared,' and couldn't take action.
But successful people move before they are ready, and adjust while looking at the results.

I realized that was the difference.

When I saw this sentence, my chest tightened.
The reason I couldn't move was, in the end, because I was 'scared.'

However, successful people move even when they are scared.
Just by having a different 'order of thinking,' your actions change completely.

Philosophy sounds like a difficult word, but in essence, it's like a map that decides 'how to move.'

I didn't have that.

That's why I'm opening my notebook now.
To find a philosophy of my own.

Last night's newsletter became my 'first step.'

[Part 2] When the 'order of thinking' changed, the landscape of my actions changed

After I finished reading the newsletter, I couldn't do anything for a while.
The depths of my chest felt warm, and it was a little painful.

'Aren't I just waiting around as I am now?'
The moment I thought that, something quietly burst inside my heart.

Among the 11 philosophies the author wrote about, three left a particularly strong impression on me.

"Find a buyer and adapt to their needs"
"Business begins with NO"
"Do not get rattled when trouble occurs"

None of these are special words.
But as I was reading them, I realized, "I haven't been doing this."

I was always looking for reasons not to fail.

When I saw this sentence, I felt a slight sting in my chest.

The version of myself that couldn't change anything while making excuses like "it's too early" or "the timing is bad."

That image clearly came to mind.

But the author was different.

Far from being afraid of being told "NO," they were looking for new opportunities from it.

They didn't let being rejected be the end.
Instead, they turned it into a chance to find their "next move."

When I read these words, I felt like I was going to cry.

I wasn't afraid of failure; I just didn't know how to recover from it.
Once I realized that, my heart felt a little lighter.

It's okay to be scared.
I realized that what's important is not to stop.

Until now, I was the type who wouldn't move until everything was ready.
But perfect timing never comes.

I finally understood that things fall into place because you take action.

Just by changing the order of my thinking a little, the landscape of my actions looked different.

Move first → See the reaction → Make small adjustments.

Just by being conscious of that flow, my feelings became lighter.

The fear remains, but it's okay to move while still being scared.
That newsletter last night was the trigger for me to think that way.

It doesn't have to be perfect.
If you've moved forward a little more than yesterday, that's enough.

I think that is the first 'philosophy' for me right now.

[Part 3] The '5 Small Philosophies' Born Within Me

After I finished reading the newsletter, I found myself opening my notebook.

The pen in my hand was shaking a little, and I even laughed at myself.
Without even knowing what to write, I wrote this on the first page.

'I want to find my own philosophy'

Seeing those words, I suddenly felt a warmth deep in my chest.

Until now, I had only been looking for reasons why I couldn't take action.
But I realized that, in truth, I just didn't have a 'blueprint' for moving forward.

That sentence echoed in my head over and over.
That's why I decided to try and create my own blueprint.

The first thing that came to mind was the phrase'Do what you can do now, right now.'I remembered the newspaper club I was in during high school.

There was a day when the deadline was approaching, but I left my interview notes behind, thinking I could just do it later.

The next morning, I rushed to write the article, but I couldn't pull it together as well as I had hoped. That one instance of 'later' has stayed with me ever since.

That is precisely why I chose this as my first philosophy.

The second is'Make choices that will make your future self's life easier.'.

If you only choose what's easy for now, it will always come back to haunt you later.

The sluggishness of the morning after staying up late because I put off what I needed to do.
I decided I didn't want to repeat that feeling anymore.

The third is'Balance frugality and investment.'.

Where you spend your money and time changes your life.
Aimless consumption only wears you down.
However, I want to be bold in investing in things that help me grow.

The fourth is 'When in doubt, choose the path that excites you'.

I always used to choose the path that felt safe.
But that never changed anything.

I've come to realize that while there is fear behind excitement, it is the only way to see new scenery.

The final fifth is 'Failure is data that supports success'.

The things that didn't go well hold the most hints for what comes next.

Looking back at my past failures, everything was connected to 'who I am now'.
Because of those experiences, I am able to write down my thoughts like this today.

The moment I finished writing the five points, my heart felt a little quieter.

It doesn't have to be perfect.
Even if I get lost, I can come back if I look at this page.
I was wrapped in that sense of security.

This is my 'first map of philosophy'.
It's a small map, but I feel like I can move forward again with it.

[Part 4] You can change your 'way of thinking' from this very moment

As I looked at the five philosophies I wrote in my notebook, a passage from a newsletter came to mind.

Those words echoed softly deep in my chest.

I had always thought, 'You can't change your way of thinking that easily.' I thought it was like your personality, something that becomes fixed once you become an adult.

But that wasn't true at all.

From the moment you think, 'I want to change,' you begin to change little by little.
When I realized that, I felt like a small light had been lit inside my heart.

I read that sentence from the author over and over again.

It was a phrase that gently and kindly stood by me, even though I had thought it was too late.

Ah, age has nothing to do with starting.
The moment you decide to do it is the start.

When I thought that, I was able to breathe a little deeper.

I still feel scared.
But I've come to realize that the very fact that I'm scared is proof that I'm taking this seriously.

When I saw this sentence, my heart felt instantly lighter.

It's okay to move while still being scared.
It doesn't have to be perfect.

Just that alone made me feel like something was changing.

That night, I decided on a small habit.

In the morning, I open my notebook and read my five philosophies out loud.
During the day, I write down just one thing I noticed.
At night, I jot down a short note about 'what I was able to do today'.

It only takes a few minutes, but strangely, I felt my mind becoming more settled.

The moment I read these words, the tension deep in my chest melted away.

It's okay if you don't have talent.
The future changes based on what you believe and what actions you choose.

Once I could think that way, the anxiety I felt until yesterday seemed a little further away.

Until yesterday, I was looking for reasons why I couldn't move, but now it's different.

It can be small.
If I can move even one step forward, that is enough.

Just being able to think that way made the scenery look kinder.

Starting with that email newsletter that night, a quiet change has begun within me.

You don't have to rush.
It's okay to be lost.

Even so, now that I've found the desire to move forward, this very moment is surely the beginning of the 'new me'.

Thank you
for reading until the end.

As a trigger to take a new step forward,
why not write your thoughts on this note?

Which passage left an impression on you,
what kind of realizations did you have,
please, let me hear your voice.

At the very end, I will leave you with three questions.
I hope they will be of help to you.

Three questions

[Question 1]

What is something you were recently 'too scared to move forward with'?

What kind of 'sincere desire you want to fulfill' do you think is hidden behind that fear?

[Question 2]

If you were to choose one 'small action' today that could make your future self a little more at ease, what would you do?

If you decided to 'do that action right now,' how do you think you would feel?

[Question 3]

If you were to have 'only one philosophy' within yourself, what words would you choose?

What kind of moments would those words support you through?

Please try thinking about it yourself and putting it into words.

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