Starting something new always feels the same. Your heart races. Your mind goes blank. You convince yourself you are not ready. Most guys think the fear means stop. But fear is actually the sign you are standing at the start of a better version of your life.

I learned that clearly while interviewing Jordan Litz, who plays Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway. His entire career began with fear, not confidence. Hearing him tell his story changed the way I think about starting anything.

Here is how you begin even when you are scared.

Fear Is Not a Warning Sign

One of the first things Jordan said that stuck with me was:

“I was terrified.”

There was no pretending he had it figured out. No fake composure. No false confidence. Just honesty. And here is what that teaches you.

Fear does not mean you are unprepared.
Fear means you are stretching into something new.

If you want to understand your fear better, read Why Do I Get Anxiety Out of Nowhere next.

Calm Comes From Repetition, Not Perfection

At one point he said:

“You have to be calm even when your heart rate is jacked.”

That is the real secret to starting something new. Calm is not something you gain before you begin. Calm is what you build by showing up over and over. The more times you walk into the thing that scares you, the more you learn you can survive it.

Confidence is learned.
Calm is trained.
Fear is temporary.

You Will Start With Nothing and That Is Normal

The moment I felt the most connected to him was when he admitted:

“I walked in there with nothing.”

No name.
No reputation.
No track record.
No one expecting anything from him.

That is exactly how starting something new looks in real life. You walk in with nothing except a desire to be there. The problem is not that you start with nothing. The problem is believing you are supposed to start with everything.

You Do Not Need to Be at the Top to Begin

Jordan talked about the shock of stepping into rooms with incredibly skilled people and realizing:

“Those guys are superhuman.”

He said it honestly.
He said it with admiration.
And he started anyway.

Most guys wait to start until they feel equal to everyone around them. You will never take action that way. You start where you are. You grow into the room. You learn from the people ahead of you. You use them as inspiration, not comparison.

If comparison is suffocating you, read How To Build Confidence When You Feel Behind next.

Your Life Will Change the Moment You Decide It Should

One of my favorite lines from him was:

“I found performing at 26.”

Read that again.
He didn’t find it at 16.
He didn’t find it at 20.
He found it exactly when he was ready to see it.

Starting new things does not require a perfect plan. It requires a decision to show up differently than you did before.

You Already Have More Than You Think

Jordan said something that wipes out the myth that you need a huge skillset to start something new.

“You can take the skill set you already have and apply it to something new.”

That is reinvention.
Not burning your past.
Not discarding your experience.
Using what you already learned to build something better.

Starting becomes much less scary when you realize you are not starting empty. You are starting experienced.

Failure Is Part of the First Step

There is a moment where he says something simple and deeply human:

“I was crushed, dude.”

Everyone hits that moment.
Everyone gets knocked down.
Everyone fails on the way to something worth having.

The difference between the guy who builds a new life and the guy who stays stuck is not talent. It is the willingness to fail forward.

Where You Go From Here

You will never feel perfectly ready.
You will never feel completely fearless.
You will never feel certain about the outcome.

But you are supposed to begin anyway.

Fear is not the barrier.
Fear is the doorway.

If you want your next step, read How To Reinvent Yourself In Your 20s after this.

FAQ

How do I know I am ready to start something new?
You feel afraid and curious at the same time. That is the signal.

What if I fail right away?
You will. Everyone does. The goal is movement, not perfection.

How do I stay confident during the process?
Anchor yourself in what you can control. Effort, consistency, and attitude.

What if other people are better than me?
They will be. That means you have something to learn, not something to fear.

How do I quiet the anxiety of starting?
Return to your life. Get out of your head. Take one actionable step.

Episode Referenced

This post was informed entirely by Episode 101 of the Guyset Podcast.