It seems to be a common understanding that if you wanna get anywhere in life you sometimes need to do stuff that is uncomfortable, scary even.

"Growth happens outside the comfort zone", "If it doesn't challenge you it doesn't change you", or even "No pain, no gain!"

Everyone has heard these sayings. And they're true, I guess. But do they put you in the mood to really dare more? I'd argue those quotes can be quite intimidating in and of themselves.

Here's a little story that made me realize there is a better reason to do the scary stuff sometimes:

Last Sunday, I was in charge of taking care of the horses in the little barn where I keep my pony. When I got there at 7am, my heart sank - Fuchur, a tall brown gelding was not wearing his blanket. The temperature was -4 degrees Celsius.

I knew I had to get that blanket on him.

Now, with most other horses I wouldn't spend a second worrying about it. But Fuchur has learned early in life that humans are not to be trusted and has developed a sophisticated suite of methods to scare them off if they come too close.

Immediately my brain started racing.

"I can't risk being kicked or bitten, I have a small baby at home!" "I just tell the owner, I tried but he wouldn't let me close to him!" and so on.

But then, I decided to just give it a try. I took him out of his box, tied him up really closely, armed myself with carrots and gave it a try. And he did...

...nothing.

Sweetest pony on the planet (ok, the carrots helped).

And there was my lesson: Daring is fun!

Even three days later I still start smiling when I think of this situation. I feel Fuchur and I are partners in crime now. I see him in a different light. I'm proud. And all of that immediately lifts my mood.

What's a reason for you to dare something?

When I don't write about grumpy horses, I write about strategies to make your work life easier - especially during the last months before finishing your PhD - and ways to (re-)design your project so it serves your bigger career goals.

Please follow if that's something you want to achieve.