Starting Something New

I come from a very normal family. I was raised into the belief that you have to go to school, get good grades, go to university and work a good job until you’re 65.

But I always knew I wanted something different in my life. I always knew I didn’t want the plain old 9-5, living for the weekend, type of life.

I just didn’t know how to get there.

In my world, starting a business was about coming up with a new, revolutionizing product. And then pursuing funding, hiring the right people so you can grow from a start-up to a global corporation.

I later found out that’s not the case. But why do we feel like starting something new is impossible?

I found the answers in Peter Thiel’s book Zero to One.

We are taught incrementalism, as Thiel calls it. That slow and steady wins the race. Not to do any more than necessary. Throughout our school years we’re taught not to learn more than the curriculum. Because it doesn’t get rewarded.

We also learn that we should not start something new, when there is a proven system. The whole going to school and getting good grades shebang worked for everyone else.

And if it isn’t broken – don’t fix it.

Most of all we are scared. Scared that the world will judge us. Scared that things will go wrong. Scared that we’ll end up broke – and alone. We assume that in a world with 7 billion people, someone has already tried it. And if it didn’t work for them, it won’t work for you. Or if it did work for them – it most certainly will not work for you. Then why even try?

But in a world with 7 billion people, there is always an opportunity. There is always something new you can do. Even if that ‘new’ is only a little tweak to something that already exists.

You just need to try. Take that first step and see where it takes you. 

That’s what I did. One day, I decided to take that first step. And little by little, it all came together. It wasn’t easy, it still isn’t, but I never regretted it.

And neither will you. Take your first step to something new.