Oftentimes, I see people who are unwilling to start something because they feel like they aren’t ready or the time isn’t right. Whether it be starting a business, going to the gym, or starting a blog, they feel like they must have all of the skills and materials ready before they can begin.
Furthermore, they look at successful examples of people who are already doing the things they want to do and try to reverse engineer their strategy for success. While this is important to learn faster, it can be detrimental when just starting out because of the differences in resources and experience.
In this blog post, I’ll explain the power of starting when you’re not ready and how you can start anything to begin your journey to success.
Their Strategy Works For Them, Not You
Let’s say you want to become a YouTuber. So naturally, what’s the first thing you do? You go on YouTube and watch successful YouTubers to try to see how you can copy their success.
However, this is a problematic strategy because you quickly realize that they have professional cameras, microphones, and editing softwares to produce high quality videos. On top of that, they may have editing crews, thumbnail designers, and production managers who work behind the scenes and a trusted audience who understands their niche and enjoys their content.
Meanwhile, you are sitting at your desk with nothing but your phone and your laptop wondering how you can produce the same videos that your idol YouTuber does. Eventually, you dismiss starting a YouTube channel as impossible and quit before you start.
You have to remember that everyone starts somewhere and that you can’t try to emulate successful people who have a lot more money, connections, and experience than you do. Just know that a long time ago, they also started just the same as you and worked their way up to their current position.
So don’t be discouraged that you aren’t as skilled or don’t have the same resources that you see other people have. Just give it a go and start with whatever you have because the truth is, you don’t need everything they have to succeed. You can use your own resources and tools to start your journey.
Start When Your Busy
This is probably the most important advice I have about starting. If your excuse for not starting something is “I am too busy with work” or “I’ll start after I have a break” or “I’ll start when I have nothing to do”, you will never start. Waiting for the stars to align is just that — it will take forever and eventually you will give up on the idea.
So start when you are busy. Make it a priority and include it in your daily schedule. You can always find or make time in your day, even if it’s only for half an hour. Wake up earlier, cut lunch a little shorter, or find a random pocket of time within your day to start the project you said you would.
By starting when you are busy, you stop waiting for the stars to align and you begin in the midst of carrying out the tasks of daily life.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” — Lao Tzu
It is important to keep in mind that to begin, you must start with a single step. So take that step today, not tomorrow, because there is no guarantee you will do it tomorrow. By taking that first step today, you will begin your journey of a thousand miles and you will go places you never expected.
On that note, let’s talk about the journey itself.
Learn As You Go
Do you trust yourself to figure it out? If you don’t, check out this article on Why You Have To Believe In Yourself. Believing in yourself is really the only thing you need as you traverse your way through unfamiliar territory.
After you have begun, trust that you will learn as you go. Over time, you will pick up the skills and experience required to perform at a higher level. While you may have started with no clue of what you were doing, you will eventually figure it out simply by doing it. Here’s some examples.
Starting A Business. Never started a business before? No problem. When you’re a first-time entrepreneur it is normal to feel scared and confused about what to do. Remember, there’s only one way to learn, and that’s learning by doing. Start a business without any expertise and fail. After a couple more failures, you will learn what it means to be an entrepreneur and you will be equipped with the skills to become a successful entrepreneur.
Learning How To Bake. You can watch all of the baking videos and read all of the cookbooks you want, but the only true way to improve your baking skills is to bake. You burn a batch of cookies? Who cares? You put way too much sugar in the cake? Well next time you won’t. It is a learning process and you will become better with repetition.
Starting A Blog. You can read other blog posts and see beautifully constructed sentences, well thought out topics, and thorough research, but the only way to have a good blog is by writing. A lot. You may start out by having terrible blog posts, but after writing day after day, you will reach a level of writing you thought you could only read about.
So take your time and trust that you will learn as you go. There is no magic formula to becoming skilled at anything except by simply doing.
Final Words
There is no greater power than starting when you aren’t ready. Use the resources that you have and make the most out of them. As long as you start, you will be able to figure it out and become skilled enough to pursue your goals at a high level.
