On trying before you feel prepared: Audacity

In the last issue, I wrote about agency: the ability to decide and act. This week, I want to talk about something that often sits between thinking and doing: audacity.

If you’re anything like me, ideas come easily. Action sometimes takes longer. There are many reasons for this, but one of the biggest is a lack of audacity or what some people might call shamelessness.

One realisation that helped me move forward is this: people are not thinking about me as much as I imagine they are. And the people whose opinions should actually matter are usually too busy with their own lives to analyse my attempts, mistakes, or awkward beginnings.

That thought loosened something.

It may help you too. And if it doesn’t, perhaps you’ve found another way to quiet that internal hesitation. Either way, shame, fear of the unknown, or fear of looking foolish cannot be the reason you stay stuck. You cannot think your way into progress. You have to start, try, and put in the effort.

You may not have everything in place. Not the perfect GPA. Not the ideal background. Not the neatest story. Still, apply. Still email supervisors. Still submit the application. Do not wait to feel ready.

Do not be afraid to be a little cringe.

Audacity does not guarantee success, just as agency does not guarantee outcomes. But without it, effort never even begins. And as we’ve already discussed, effort is the only part you truly control.

People often say fortune favours the brave. I don’t know if fortune always does. But I am certain that stagnation favours no one. Nothing of consequence has ever been accomplished without audacity or ‘shamelessness’.

So here’s to doing, even imperfectly.

—Ojonugwa

for Scholar ChitChat