There’ll be many moments throughout our lives when we’ll have to make decisions. Usually, these decisions come down to whether we should try or not. Sometimes we might try to do something and it might not work. Other times, it might work.

But you’ll never know unless you try.

When you’re faced with a challenge or come across a situation where you have to step out of your comfort zone, what do you do? What’s your reaction?

Maybe you've quit your job to do blogging full-time and are now faced with the challenge of feeling confident enough to make a living from this. Maybe you want to get that extra qualification, but you’re worried you won’t be able to manage everything. Maybe you need someone to help you, but you’re too scared to reach out.

What’s really holding you back?

When a situation like this crops up in life and we’re faced with making a big decision we hesitate, stop and put things off because of fear.

But think about this.

How many other times throughout a single day do you show courage? How many times throughout a day do you make decisions?

So if you’re struggling with making certain decisions, or you just want to have the belief that you can do something, this is for you. Here are some ways you can try.

Being Courageous & Having Belief

The belief that you can try starts with courage. And that courage comes from having faith. Believing you can try something comes from within – it comes from having faith in yourself. Now, I know self-confidence varies on a scale for us all. I used to have none at all as a teenager. But now I've grown up, I believe more in my ability.

It’s hard to put all that faith in ourselves, but really, it’s essential. If you have courage it means you can not only try once, but you can try again and again.

Having Strength

I always say that I wish I was as strong as other members of my family. My Grandma and Granddad where the strongest people I've ever known. Sometimes I wonder how they managed to hold onto that strength for so long. Now I’m starting to realise that a lot of it came from love.

If you’re worried about doing something because you don’t think you’re strong enough, ask yourself – what does your strength mean to you? It will mean something different to each of us.

Usually, it’s because you don’t feel strong enough to handle the failure if it doesn't work out. I get that. In the past, I believed that I didn't have the strength to try things because I’d fail. But that isn't the reason that you shouldn't try.

And sometimes, once you try, you might find that you’re stronger than you think.

Understanding Your Fear

What is the root of your fear? Why do you really fear taking that next step and trying? I’ll be honest – I probably feel fear on a daily basis. Sometimes it’ll last for five minutes, sometimes it’ll last for five hours. But now I've realised that once you understand your fear and your place within it, you can start to move past it.

This again comes down to belief. Believing in yourself and your ability will reduce your fear.

Put Things into Perspective

I spoke about this in a post yesterday on numbers in blogging. Sometimes, we can over-think things so much that they just grow out of proportion. Usually, if we put things into perspective, we can take a deep breath and feel a whole lot better.

Take a step back. Write a list. Pros and cons are your best friend. Ask yourself what will happen if you take the chance? Ask yourself what will happen if you try?

Ask yourself what will happen if you don’t?

Let’s take making the decision to be a blogger full-time as an example. Your list could look like this:

Going full-time

Doing what you love
Creating your own schedule
Flexibility
Big chance to learn more
Loads of opportunities
Ability to travel

aving a permanent job

Consistent income
Strict routine
Chance for growth
Not working alone
Holidays

When you look over your lists, it will put things into perspective for you. You’ll be able to pinpoint your biggest fear. Is the lack of a consistent income? Is it working alone all day? Is it the pressure? Whatever it is, you might find that you’ll be able to work around it when you think about the bigger picture.

Stay Positive

We talked about staying positive last week and it’s true for almost everything we talk about. It can just come down to negativity that stops us from trying. If you say to yourself, “I can’t do this” then yes, you probably won’t do it with that outlook. But if you keep saying “I can do this”, you’re going to be much more likely to do it.

Change your outlook. Positive thinking can have bigger rewards than you know.

So here’s to believing that we can. Here’s to having faith in ourselves. Here’s to embracing our paths.

And here’s to trying.

How do you push past the fear? Do you believe in the saying "you never know unless you try?" Let's chat in the comments

You Never Know Unless You Try