I Was Petrified—and I Began Anyway

Finding the courage to start a new chapter before you feel confident.

Can you begin a new chapter before you feel confident?

In my experience, yes. You can take a considered step while you are still frightened, drawing on the skills, support and opportunities available to you. Confidence may grow as you learn and gain experience.

That is how it happened for me.

She had twenty years of experience. I had a few months.

I remember being absolutely petrified when I first stepped in to look after another massage therapist’s clients.

She had developed a serious skin infection on her hands and needed someone to cover her appointments. I had done some training with her, and she asked me to help.

She had around twenty years of experience.

I had a few months.

Walking in to treat people who were accustomed to her care, I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh.”

She assured me that I was very good and had a natural ability for massage. Her encouragement mattered. Someone with experience had seen my work and believed I could do this.

I was still scared.

But I began.

I needed to find a way to support my family

At the time, I was a single parent with two children still going through school.

My son was approaching an age when the government support I received would reduce. My part-time work wasn’t bringing in enough money, and I knew something needed to change.

I considered returning to nursing. It was a profession I already knew, but shift work would have made it harder to be around for my children.

Massage offered the possibility of building an income with more flexibility around family life.

There were practical questions to consider: training, working hours, costs and whether I could build enough business.

The courage to move forward came largely from needing to support my family.

Sometimes that is what beginning looks like. You have responsibilities, an uncertain future and an opportunity worth exploring.

My confidence grew while I was learning

As I continued massaging, I recognised that clients wanting to use their health funds would need me to hold the appropriate qualifications.

I began looking for a school where I could complete diploma training.

During that time, I was also building my own massage business. I learned new techniques, practised what I was learning and gained experience in the student clinic.

Gradually, I began feeling more capable.

There was something satisfying about learning a skill and then having the opportunity to use it. Each experience gave me more to draw on the next time.

I hadn’t felt that confidence when I first walked in to cover another therapist’s appointments. It developed as I trained, worked and learned.

Building a business, one practical decision at a time

I decided to use the final year of the support available to me to give the business a serious chance.

I worked through profit-and-loss figures and began looking around town for a room to rent.

During that search, a local physiotherapist approached me about renting a room in his practice.

I accepted.

I put brochures in the waiting area and an A-frame outside the building. People began finding me, and my client base grew.

Eventually, I employed another massage therapist who was also a single parent. She worked during school hours, and I worked from the afternoon into the evening.

Together, we made good use of the room while arranging work around our family circumstances.

When I think back to that time, I remember how excited I felt.

I was so elated that it almost felt as though I was on holidays.

I had found work I loved and was building something that could support my family. That feeling would have been difficult to imagine when I was standing at the beginning, wondering whether I could do it.

What if you don’t feel ready for your next chapter?

Your circumstances may be very different from mine.

Perhaps your children need you differently now. Perhaps a relationship has ended, your health has changed or the work you have done for years no longer fits the life you want.

You may know that something needs to change without knowing exactly what comes next.

You don’t have to settle every question before exploring an option. Start by looking at what would make a next step informed and manageable.

Recognise what you already bring

I was new to massage, but I already had experience in nursing, caring for people and managing responsibilities.

What skills and experience could support your next chapter?

Include the things that feel ordinary to you because you have been doing them for years: listening, organising, solving problems, supporting others or making difficult decisions.

You’re not starting from scratch—you’re starting from experience.

Look at what your life needs now

Massage appealed to me partly because of how it could fit around my children.

Your next step needs to make sense within your circumstances too.

Consider your income needs, energy, health, family commitments and the kind of working life you want. Those details can help you recognise which opportunities are worth pursuing.

Find support you can trust

The therapist who asked me to cover her appointments had seen my work. Her reassurance gave me something solid to lean on when I doubted myself.

Who could help you assess your options honestly?

That might be a teacher, an experienced colleague or someone who can help you work through the practical questions. Useful support helps you make your own informed decision.

A waxing moon reflection: give something room to grow

I like using the waxing moon as a reminder to nurture something that is beginning.

For you, that might be an idea you have been quietly considering or a skill you would like to develop.

Ask yourself:

What possibility am I ready to give a little more attention to?

Then choose one action that would help you explore it.

You might enquire about training, work through the numbers, speak with someone doing that work or set aside time to consider what you want.

Notice what the action teaches you. You may feel encouraged, discover a question that needs answering or decide to adjust your direction.

Each of those outcomes gives you useful information.

You can be frightened and still take a thoughtful step

When I first covered those massage appointments, I could not have described everything that would follow.

I knew I was scared. I knew someone I trusted believed in my ability. And I knew I needed to find a way forward for my family.

So I took the opportunity, continued learning and built from there.

If you are waiting to feel completely confident, consider what would help you take one thoughtful step with the confidence you have today.

You may discover more of it along the way.

What could your Second Rise™ look like?

If you are wondering what comes next, the free Are You Ready for Your Second Rise™? assessment offers a starting point for reflection.

Give yourself a little space to consider where you are now and what deserves your attention next.

By Sharon Bremner, founder of The Second Rise™ and a business mentor drawing on more than 37 years of real-world business experience.