When doubts start to cloud your mind, fuck it!
When you know your work isn’t perfect but want to show it to people anyway, fuck it!
When obstacles come in your way and failure feels like a certainty, fuck it!
When you don’t know if anyone is going to like your work, fuck it!
“Fuck it” has been my mantra whenever fear kicks in.
First, what is fear? It’s a primal response every animal has when signs of danger arise. The thing is we feel fear even when no bodily harm could happen to us, that’s because we’re social animals that evolved to feel that a mistake in our social lives can have real-life consequences. But, we vastly overestimate the potential dangers because evolution hasn’t caught up with technology. We don’t live in small tribes any more where a creative fuck-up will lead us to ridicule, we don’t depend on our social standing in a tribe to sustain ourselves and have shelter.
The game has changed, but the fear remains the same. What can we do?
Obviously, we can’t speed up evolution or bypass our emotional processes. What we can do is to stop. Take a deep breath. And realize that the chance for lasting consequences is very low. Chances are that you’ll be okay if you put out that video you always wanted to make, or ask that person out you’ve been crushing on, or apply to that job you’ve always wanted, or send an email to that person who’s always inspired you. Even if you fail horribly, you’ll be okay. So, fuck it!
Of course, failing sucks and rejection sucks harder, but it’s not the end of the world.
You’ll keep on living, you’ll keep on making friends, you’ll find another job, you’ll make another thing. You’ll be okay.
So next time you’re nervous about taking a risk. It’s okay, every successful person out there who’s taken risk has been in the same shoes. The one difference was that they said: fuck it! And you can too.
