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Trust Me, You’ve Done Scarier Things

July 17, 2026 4 min read

This afternoon, you can go down and rent a 26-foot U-Haul truck to move with that weighs over 13,000 pounds empty and drive it down the highway at 75 mph with just a credit card and proof of insurance. You can go to the Ice-Skating rink and rent ice skates, and then get on the ice with no proof of your ability to ice skate, and they’ll just let you on the ice. You can go to the lake and rent a jet ski, just throw on a life jacket, and go out there and operate a piece of machinery for the first time with no formal training while boats whiz by you.

It’s always amazing to me that just because you’re moving, or on vacation, or on a date, you can just go do these things with no questions asked. Just give us a credit card and prove you’re not a total idiot, and here are the keys to a 13,000-pound death machine on four wheels. In fact, you can go to your local Home Depot and rent any power tool you want with no training, just a guy wearing a stained T-shirt and an orange apron asking when you plan to return your new power saw.

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You’re more than happy to take the keys to a sports car you rented with a $500 deposit, but you’re scared to send a DM to a hiring manager. You’re more than willing to go 30mph on a lake without a life jacket on, but you’re afraid to talk to someone about your new business idea. You’re more than willing to get on that ice that will concuss the piss out of your brain, but you’re scared to ask for more money at work.

What am I missing here? Do you understand my point?

The things we are afraid of are quite comical, to be honest. We build up things in our minds to be so scary, yet we’re willing to do much scarier things without really thinking through the consequences.

Fear has a funny way of ignoring the actual danger and attaching itself to whatever might bruise our ego. Falling off a jet ski could break your neck. Sending a message that goes unanswered might make you feel rejected for six minutes. Somehow, the second one keeps more people awake at night.

Most of the career decisions you are avoiding are not dangerous. They are uncomfortable. There is a massive difference between those two things, yet we treat them like they are the same. Discomfort makes you hesitate, overthink, delay, and convince yourself that waiting is somehow the more responsible decision.

Most of the career decisions you are avoiding are not dangerous. They are uncomfortable. There is a massive difference between those two things.

The hiring manager might ignore you. Your boss might say no. The person you admire might never respond. Your business idea might not work. None of those outcomes require an ambulance, a neck brace, or a call to your insurance company.

We are willing to look stupid in places where nobody knows us. You can wobble around an ice rink, fall directly on your ass, and laugh it off because you will probably never see those people again. Looking inexperienced at work feels different because the people watching matter to you, which is exactly why you need to get more comfortable being seen trying.

Your career will eventually require you to do things before you feel completely ready. You will have to apply before you believe you are qualified, speak before you feel polished, lead before you have every answer, and ask before you know what the response will be. Waiting until fear disappears is just a creative way to remain exactly where you are.

Courage is rarely some giant cinematic moment where you suddenly become fearless. Most of the time, it is sending the message, scheduling the meeting, asking the question, or putting your name forward while your brain gives you fifty reasons to stay quiet. The action is usually small. The story you have built around it is what makes it feel enormous.

Maybe it is time to stop acting like one unanswered email is more dangerous than driving a moving truck the size of a small apartment down the interstate. You have already trusted yourself with much scarier things. Send the message. Ask for the raise. Share the idea. Take the chance.

At least this time, nobody is handing you a power saw.

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