The truth behind what we put off

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Have you ever sat down to get work done — whether it’s an assignment for school or a task for your job — and noticed yourself avoiding a certain task?

For me, that task was always writing.

In college, I would jump at the chance to get ahead on math or computer science homework… but delay writing assignments as long as possible.

At the time, I told myself it was because I didn’t enjoy writing.

Which is ironic, given that I now choose to write this newsletter.

But I don’t think disliking writing was ever the real reason.

I think I was afraid of failure.

I put off writing because I didn’t believe I was good at it. And worse, I was afraid to prove that belief true. To try and fall short of my potential seemed worse than not trying at all.

Math and coding came easier to me. There was structure. One plus one is two. A program either runs or it doesn’t. Writing felt less certain — more interpretive, more open-ended. That subjectivity scared me.

Lately though, I’ve been learning to embrace it.

Because the world is subjective. 

And fearing subjectivity is, in many ways, fearing life itself.

There is no right way to live. Just like there’s no right way to write. People will try and tell you what to do, how to do it, and why you should do it — but in the end, the choice is yours.

There’s just living. And there’s just writing.

It’s up to you to decide what matters. It’s up to you to decide what you want to go after. And it’s up to you to overcome your fear of failure, and go after it.

Because if you live in fear, you don’t really live at all.

So embrace the moments that scare you. The moments where failure is possible. Because it’s in these moments that we grow the most.

I’ve feared long enough.

It’s time to live.

I hope you’ll join me.

🌱 This week’s step worth taking

This week, identify something that you have been afraid of doing and go do it.

Life is too short to live in fear.

📚 Worth the Read

If you liked today’s issue, I highly recommend:

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries — a guide to using failure as fuel. Learn how to test, iterate, and grow faster by embracing mistakes instead of fearing them.

🔄 Misstep of the week

I’ve been cutting it close with these newsletters recently — writing them the night before (or really early morning before 😬).

The funny thing? I really enjoy writing them once I get started. But sitting down to write reminds me that I could be doing more. Writing earlier, writing better, or spreading the word more intentionally.

It’s easy to avoid that feeling.

But I need to take my own advice and face it head-on.

Because that feeling isn’t failure — it’s growth.

Ignoring it? That’s failure.

🙌 Step Spotlight

The thought of traveling to a foreign country can be intimidating.

New cultures, unfamiliar languages, different surroundings — it’s enough to keep some people from ever taking the leap.

But not Grace.

She’s always dreamed of exploring Asia after graduation, and now she’s making it happen.

She just booked a one-way ticket to Japan.

Enjoy every moment, Grace ✈️ We can’t wait to hear all about your adventure.

Want to be featured in next week’s Step Spotlight? Respond to this issue with a step you’ve taken that you’re proud of.

Until next week.

Step by step,

Nathan

P.S. This was me whenever I had a writing assignment in college

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