We actually have hot water in our house. But in my specific bathroom, I don’t use it. Every morning and every night, I turn the handle, and I know exactly what is coming.
Freezing cold water.
Sometimes I stand there and stare at the showerhead. My brain bargains with me. “Maybe do it later,” it whispers. “Maybe just splash your face.” But I know a secret: The water is not going to get warmer.
Standing there waiting doesn’t fix the temperature. It just prolongs the suffering. The only way to make it bearable is to step in, move fast, and get it done.
The Waiting Game
In life and business, we are constantly waiting for the water to get warm.
We wait for the “right time” to start the business. We wait for the “perfect mood” to write the article. We wait to feel “ready.” We think that if we wait long enough, the fear will go away—that the water will turn hot.
But the water never turns hot. The fear doesn’t leave. You just get colder standing on the dry mat.
The “Flinch”
The problem isn’t the task itself. The problem is that we treat discomfort as a stop sign.
When you feel that cold shock of fear—before sending an email or launching a project—you freeze. You think something is wrong. But just like my shower, the shock is necessary. It’s the signal to move, not to wait.
3 Ways to Handle the Cold
So, how do we step under the freezing water without hesitation? We stop wishing for heat and start changing how we handle the cold.
1. Acknowledge the Abstract vs. The Physical
In the shower, the cold is physical. It shocks your skin. But in business, the “cold” is abstract. We often confuse the two. We treat a difficult email like a physical threat.
You need to distinguish them. Ask yourself: “What is the biological cost of this?”
If you send the email and they say ‘no’, do you get hurt? No.
If you launch the product and it fails, do you starve? Likely not.
Once you realize the “cold” is just data, not danger, it becomes easier to turn the handle.
2. The “Resume of Failures”
When you stand under cold water, you survive. You get out, you dry off, and you feel energized. In your career, you have already survived “cold showers.” You failed exams. You quit jobs. You made mistakes.
Most people hide these moments. I want you to list them. Build a “Resume of Failures.” Look at that list and realize: I am still here.
The water was cold, but you didn’t freeze to death. This proof of survival is what gives you the confidence to jump in next time.
3. The “Bubblegum”
Approach If you stand under a cold shower and tense up your muscles, the water feels like ice daggers. It hurts. But if you move—if you scrub fast, breathe loud, and treat it like a challenge—it becomes manageable.
This is the “Bubblegum” approach: Be flexible. Be playful.
When you treat your goal like a life-or-death exam, you tense up. You suffer. Instead, treat it like a game. “Let’s see what happens if I try this.” When you add playfulness (and speed) to the process, you don’t have time to feel the cold.
Summary
The water isn’t going to get warmer. The market isn’t going to get easier. The perfect time isn’t coming.
You can stand on the dry mat and shiver, or you can step in. The moment you step in, the shock turns into energy.
What to do next: You know you need to step into the cold water, but you might still be asking how to calculate the risk before you jump. I wrote a specific breakdown on a tool that helps you do exactly that.
Read: How Fear Setting Changed My Life
