Starting your life over is one of the most difficult, terrifying thing a living human adult can embark on.
It comes with cold feet. It comes with shivers and it comes with fear. A fear of the unknown, a fear of change. A dispiriting shiver that comes with charting new territories and a fear of what people would say.
I for one know this because I’ve felt it. And in the course of reinventing myself. And living a life that flows with my set values, I’ve felt the fear creeping in. I’ve seen it try to saddle me with numerous negative what ifs.
What if it doesn’t work out, what if I’m just about to waste precious time. What if I go bankrupt, what if nobody likes it.
What if I’m unable to trace my steps back, what if, what if, what if….
I started a YouTube channel sometime around this period last year. I started without knowing everything. I didn’t even have all the video tools/ gears needed to get it running smoothly.
I am an introvert. And I worried a lot about how to handle consistently putting up videos of myself out on the internet. Because it’s way out of my comfort zone. But I knew within me that it’s something I had to do.
And even in the midst of the worries and the fears, I pushed myself. And I started anyways. Like what’s the worst that could happen.
Sometimes failing comes with benefits
The Pandemic last year was a difficult time for a lot of people including me. With the series of lockdowns and the hit a lot of businesses around the world took. Most especially small businesses including mine. Who had to shut theirs doors down even if financially we couldn’t afford to.
So for me and a lot of other people, we knew what it felt like to hit rock bottom.
But in the midst of all these, I have chosen instead to see the silver lining. Because all those periods of self isolation forced me to sit down with myself. And think of my life and the direction it was headed. I started thinking of restructuring my life in new ways that will bring me fulfillment.
Because with the old ways, the future looked dim. My business was at a standstill. It felt like I already hit rock bottom with nowhere else to go but lower. So starting something new didn’t look as scary anymore.
Because really, what’s the worst that could happen. And that was where the courage to start a channel came from.
Last week was my one year “Youtubeversary”, if there is even a word like that. And I’m super proud of how far I’ve come, the lives I’ve touched. And my own personal unique approach to designing which I talk about on my channel. And which other people benefit from.
So, sometimes failure is not all bad when you can pick yourself back up. And digest the lessons you learnt from it.
Today is yesterday’s future. What you do today determines what happens tomorrow. And even if that sounds cliche, it’s actually the honest truth. The hardest part is starting. For the rest, you can figure it out later.
What do you think of this? Please share in the comments section. I would love to hear from you.
