8 Reminders For When You’re Scared To Take The Next Step Forward

1. Your fear isn’t always a sign you’re about to make the wrong move. Any time you make a change to your life, there’s going to be some hesitation. After all, you’re about to change your routine. You’re about to step out of your comfort zone. You’re about to make life more difficult for yourself in some ways — but you’re about to make yourself so much happier in others.

2. Procrastination isn’t your friend. There’s a difference between being patient and straight up procrastinating. One is healthy. The other is dangerous. You can’t keep putting off something you want out of fear or the opportunity might pass you by. You have to make a move. You have to chase after what you want. You have to push your fear aside and take that risk.

3. You can’t spend too much time worrying about things you might regret. You might be terrified to make a change to your world because you’re worried you’re going to end up regretting it. But if you remain inside your comfort zone, you’re going to end up regretting that too. Either way, there’s a chance you’re going to end up feeling like you messed up, so you might as well make the move your heart has been begging you to make.

4. You can’t stay stuck in the same place forever. Look back at the last few years. Are you the same person as you were back then? No. You’ve developed. You’ve evolved. Even though change is scary, it’s a necessary part of your growth. You might as well embrace it. You might as well learn to enjoy the journey.

5. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your fear. Don’t hold your feelings inside. If you need to talk to someone about your worries, then grab a trusted friend or mentor or therapist. Let them know what’s going through your mind. Chances are, they’ve been in a similar place before. They’ll understand — or they will at least be supportive.

6. You’ve overcome your fears before. This isn’t the first time you’ve gotten nervous. There have been plenty of other moments when you could have let your fear get the best of you — but you managed to overcome it. If you’ve done it before, even on a small scale, you can do it again.

7. The timing is never going to be perfect. If you want to find excuses to hold off for another week or month or year, you’re going to find excuses. There’s always going to be a reason you ‘should’ wait to take the next step forward. But if you want something badly enough, you have to decide that you’re going to do it anyway. No more excuses.

8. You’re going to be pissed at yourself if you don’t take that next step. Do your future self a favor and take a risk. If you chase after what you want, you’re going to be proud of yourself, even if you fail. You’re going to be glad you tried. You’re going to feel like you made the right choice.