If you’re waiting for a sign to do something like committing to a project or trying something new but you’re afraid to, this is for you.
After my time with ELEVEN Magazine, I spent days wishing I were back in, wishing I could be part of a greater creative project again. And before long, I started reopening my own little, individual ideas that I had brushed aside for some time with ELEVEN. One of these ideas was my blog.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve been there, but this was my deal: I had a bunch of projects — two, maybe three pretty big ones (my final year project being one of them). And they were all lined up, waiting rather impatiently. For me. For me who wanted to lay in bed and think about the possibilities. For me who wanted to reconsider options and redo things to make sure they're perfect. For me who enjoyed the comfort of the now and is afraid of the consequences of jumping into things.
So here's a list of reasons I came up with on the fly at 9.53p.m., two hours before 2021, for why I ought to leap into my tiny little project (that I’m still slowly working on!). I found them incredibly helpful at the time, and so I’m hoping that as you read my old ranting and rationalising which slowly boiled down into a mash-up of motivational words, you’ll find that these reasons will push you to do whatever it is that you’re having a little trouble doing, too.
1. You know what you need
By knowing what you need, I mean knowing the kind of experience and skills you need to develop, as well as the tools required. Let’s be real — the likelihood of you jumping into this with absolutely no idea of what you’re about to do is low. You’ve probably at the very least read up on it, watched a bunch of videos, and torn yourself up over every little scenario of you taking part in your budding passion.
Chances are, you have an impression of what you’re up against. And that’s a pretty big deal, despite the voices in your head that might say otherwise. Because this means that you’re excited, willing, and determined. That’s usually more than enough to encourage you to at least explore the possibilities of the little adventure you’ve worked up in your head.
2. You’ll never know if you’ll be good at it until you try
Sure, you may not start off amazing at this. You may not start off well at all. And if you’re anything like me, this is going to haunt you. But if you don't start now, will you ever reach your potential? Like I did for two whole years before I started up my blog, you’d just be idling your time away. Wondering, wasting days thinking about what if's, when you could be spending them experiencing said what if's. At least the latter gets you some sort of conclusive answer.
3. In order to grow, you need to step out of your comfort zone
I’ve lived my life riddled with fear. I fear the worst in every situation, so I play it safe. Will I ever experience the thrill of a Flying Fox activity because I'm afraid to jump? I've declined the opportunity so many times, yet I spend more moments than I care to admit wishing I had the courage to glide through the air. My best friend, who fears heights just as much as I do (maybe even more) now no longer fears the Flying Fox because she was once pushed to try it. She grew.
And it is this thought that convinces me that stepping out of your comfort zone does help you grow. And you know what? Even if you end up horrified by the idea of a Flying Fox after having experienced the entire thing, at least now you’d know your boundaries and limits (and trust me, that’s growth).
4. You’re not alone
About the Flying Fox bit, you know full well that the ropes will catch you, just like you know full well that if these projects do not work out and you end up feeling sad and disheartened, the people around you will be there to catch you and help you stand again.
5. Because you want to
For a long time, I longed to be just like my partner because he knows how to have fun — to put on a snorkel on land and to find joy in hotel hairdryers. Being with him and being around him has led me to ride 60km around Singapore on a bicycle (suffering, sure, but with glee), drive 250km around Singapore for the fun of it and ride headfirst down a ramp on a mountain bicycle in the middle of a forest's makeshift bike park. All because he wanted to, and because his excitement made me want to.
Now if you want to jump off an airplane with a professional jumper strapped to your back, I say, why not? You want to, (and it’s safe), so why shouldn’t you?
I think it's time to just jump right in.
P.S. Please do NOT jump off something without a professional jumper of said thing strapped to you for safety purposes. Also for the sake of my sanity, all pushes toward motivation in this text are meant to promote confidence in ethical pursuits >:(