DON’T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW. OR SHOULD YOU?

January 11, 2026
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I have been seeing this quote everywhere lately, and funny enough, a lot of people seem to believe the exact opposite. This year, I stand strongly with the point that we should take opportunities as they come, even the big ones.

While I don’t endorse recklessly overestimating your capabilities, overstretching to the point of breaking, or doing anything that leaves you dangerously overwhelmed, I do think that to truly achieve something great, you have to be daring. You have to be willing to challenge certain tasks that scare you a little.

Living and studying or working in Russia as a foreigner is a perfect example of this. Most people back home would say that moving here, navigating life in a completely different culture, or learning this complex language is biting off way more than one can chew. It looks impossible from the outside.

But if we all listened to that cautious advice, we would never have made the move in the first place. We would have stayed in our comfort zones where everything is predictable, safe, and, quite frankly, sometimes a bit stagnant. We chose the challenge, and because of that, we evolved.

If you consider things carefully, a lot of people are where they are right now precisely because they dared to bite off more than they could chew. They dared to go ahead even though things looked terrifying. They applied for that job they weren’t 100% qualified for. They started that business with zero experience.

Looking back, I find that the best things in my life have come from saying “yes” to things I wasn’t entirely ready for. There is a specific kind of growth that only happens when you are slightly out of your depth. You learn to swim because you have to. The pressure forces you to adapt faster than you ever would in a comfortable environment. You figure out a lot of things simply because you are in the middle of it, and there is no turning back.

The start of a new year usually brings a lot of talk about “balance” and “moderation.” Those are good things, don’t get me wrong, but they shouldn’t be used as excuses to stay small. If an opportunity shows up that makes your heart beat a little faster, it is probably because it is exactly the size you need to grow into. You don’t need to have every single step mapped out before you begin. You just need the willingness to figure it out as you go.

So, for the months ahead, I am choosing to be a bit more ambitious with my goals. I want to look back at the end of the year and realize that I handled much more than I thought was possible. It is better to have a full plate and a bit of a challenge than to spend the year wondering what might have happened if I had just been a little more courageous.

Let us make this the year where we stop worrying about the size of the bite and start focusing on our ability to handle the challenge.

Bite more. Worst case scenario? You drink water to step it down!

Happy New Year! Remember, #ESolutionsDeyForYou

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