Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links.<\/p>\n
You find an opportunity that interests you, but never open the application form.<\/p>\n
Work is busy. You lack experience. You should prepare a little more. These reasons may all be true. Yet you keep returning to the same page.<\/p>\n
Do you not want to try, or do you want to try but feel afraid? These words offer a starting point for examining that difference.<\/p>\n
The path you call dangerous is always the path you want to take.<\/p>Taro Okamoto \u2014 translated for this article<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n
Original: \u5371\u967a\u3060\u3001\u3068\u3044\u3046\u9053\u306f\u5fc5\u305a\u3001\u81ea\u5206\u306e\u884c\u304d\u305f\u3044\u9053\u306a\u306e\u3060\u3002 Source: an excerpt from Okamoto’s book Jibun no Naka ni Doku o Mote published by Shin R25. The English above is this article’s translation, not an official translation.<\/p>\n
An everyday reflection on these words<\/h2>\n
Separate fear from dislike<\/h3>\n
This is a forceful statement. We do not take it to mean that every dangerous choice is right. What follows is our own everyday reflection, not a complete account of Okamoto’s intentions.<\/p>\n
Imagine being offered a new responsibility at work. Do you dislike the work itself, or fear being seen making a mistake? Both can sound like ‘I don’t want to,’ but they are different questions.<\/p>\n
Before trying to erase your fear, write down what you are worried might happen: a gap in your knowledge, less income, a lack of time, or other people’s judgment. Separating those concerns can reveal which conditions need checking.<\/p>\n
You do not have to stake everything at once<\/h3>\n
Being curious about another career does not require resigning tomorrow. Wanting to draw does not require buying a complete set of equipment.<\/p>\n
Read one job requirement. Ask someone about their experience. Draw on a sheet of paper you already have. You can explore an interest while protecting your current commitments.<\/p>\n
You may discover that the reality is different from what you imagined. You can reconsider. Trying something is not the same as placing yourself beyond the possibility of turning back.<\/p>\n
Keep the safeguards that protect you<\/h3>\n
Physical danger, unaffordable debt, illegal activity, and pressure from another person should not be repackaged as personal growth.<\/p>\n
Fear can contain an important warning. The question here is not whether you can prove your courage by courting danger. It is whether you have dismissed a genuine interest before giving yourself a chance to examine it.<\/p>\n
One thing for today: imagine no one laughing<\/h3>\n
Choose one thing you keep thinking about. Ask yourself: If no one laughed at me, would I want to try?<\/p>\n
If the answer is yes, write down one condition to investigate next. If it is no, choosing not to proceed deserves respect too.<\/p>\n
You do not have to decide today. Begin by listening to what is behind your own ‘better not.’<\/p>\n
Read in Japanese<\/h2>\n
\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u7248\u3092\u8aad\u3080<\/a><\/p>\n
Source<\/h2>\n