7 Lessons on Risk, Reinvention, and Building Confidence From Scratch
What two men who left everything behind taught me about taking the leap, trusting yourself, and doing the work even when nobody’s watching.
By
Josh Felgoise
Nov 4, 2025
Most people talk about wanting to start over. Very few actually do it.
In this episode of Guyset, I sat down with Simon Gervais and Ryan Steck, two men who completely rebuilt their lives from the ground up. One left a career in counterterrorism to write thrillers. The other went from reviewing authors to becoming one. Both made a leap that could’ve failed, but didn’t.
Here’s what I took away from them.
1. You’ll Never Feel Ready. Do It Anyway.
“It took me seven years to write my first novel. When I signed a contract, I had another book due a year later. I told my wife I wanted to try it full-time, and she said absolutely.”
Simon didn’t wait for permission. He made the jump before he had it all figured out.
Most of us wait for the perfect time, the perfect plan, the perfect savings account. But there’s no “ready.” There’s only go. If you’re standing at the edge of something you can’t stop thinking about, that’s the sign.
If you’re in that place, read From Bodyguard to Bestseller: What It Takes to Walk Away and Start Over.
2. Discipline Is Stronger Than Motivation.
“I’m not lazy. Whatever I need to do to get to my objective, I will do. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the end of a deadline and need to work twenty-hour days.”
Motivation fades. Discipline doesn’t.
When you make a big change, the excitement will die out fast. That’s when structure matters. The people who actually make it aren’t the ones who feel inspired every day — they’re the ones who keep showing up anyway.
If you’re struggling to stay consistent, How to Build Confidence from Scratch breaks down how to create real momentum again.
3. The Pressure Never Goes Away. It Just Evolves.
“When you’re at the top of the pyramid, it’s a fight to stay there. There are ten thousand people who want your spot.”
Success doesn’t remove pressure. It multiplies it.
Whether you’re publishing books, climbing a career ladder, or starting something new, the higher you rise, the harder it gets to stay grounded. That’s why humility and awareness matter. You can’t let early wins make you soft.
The challenge shifts from getting there to staying there.
4. Don’t Chase Perfect. Chase Progress.
“You can always edit bad pages. You just can’t edit blank pages.”
That line hit me like a brick.
We overthink every move, terrified of getting it wrong. But nothing gets built without movement. It’s better to create something imperfect than to sit in silence waiting for the perfect plan.
Progress builds clarity. Clarity builds confidence. The first version will always be messy, but it’ll get you where you need to go.
5. Every Leap Resets the Mountain.
“It’s like you just climbed Everest and then blinked and you’re back at the bottom. You don’t even get to come down. You just have to climb again.”
That’s the part of success nobody talks about.
Every new chapter comes with a new learning curve. Just because you’ve done something once doesn’t mean you’ll coast forever. The best people know that growth resets the game.
If you feel like you’re back at square one, that’s not failure — that’s the next level starting.
You’ll relate to this one: What to Do When You Feel Lost in Your Career.
6. Risk Is a Confidence Builder, Not a Confidence Killer.
“I never doubted myself. I didn’t know the business very well when I did that. Maybe if I knew everything, I would’ve done something different, but I didn’t know the odds. So I just went at it.”
The biggest myth about confidence is that you need it before you start. You don’t. You build it while you’re in motion.
Confidence comes from proving to yourself that you can handle the unknown. Every leap teaches you that you’re more capable than you thought.
7. Surround Yourself With People Climbing the Same Hill.
“Make yourself a group of friends and grow with them. In publishing, I have friends who started at the same level, and we grew together. When you exchange about challenges, they understand.”
Reinvention doesn’t have to be lonely. The people you surround yourself with matter more than you think. Find people who are chasing something of their own. People who challenge you and understand what it feels like to be in motion.
That’s where real growth happens.
My Favorite Quotes
“You can always edit bad pages. You just can’t edit blank pages.”
“Whatever I need to do to get to my objective, I will do.”
“When you’re at the top of the pyramid, it’s a fight to stay there.”
Why This Episode Matters
Every guy hits a point where he has to decide whether to keep playing it safe or to start over. This episode is a blueprint for that decision.
You don’t need certainty. You need courage.
To go deeper, check out The Risk That Changes Everything: Why Starting Over Is the Real Test of Confidence and the Practical Q&A: How to Know When It’s Time to Bet on Yourself.
From the Guyset World
If you liked this one, keep reading:
Reinvention isn’t about running from your old life. It’s about stepping into a new one.
Simon and Ryan didn’t just take a leap. They built a life on the other side of it.
