On the other side of hesitation

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” — Mark Twain

It’s a trap we all fall into: waiting for the perfect moment to start.

You tweak, refine, and second-guess every detail, thinking that just a little more time will make everything click. But readiness is a moving target. 

The more you learn, the more your standards rise, and the longer you wait, the harder it gets to put yourself out there. What once seemed like a small step feels like an insurmountable leap because you’ve overcomplicated the process in your mind. 

But here’s the thing: you don’t get better by waiting. You get better by doing.

Because clarity comes through movement. Not through more planning, not through perfection, not from sitting on an idea until it feels safe.

You’ll never feel 100% ready, and that’s okay. The trick is to start before you feel ready. 

When you start sharing your work ― even when it feels raw or unfinished ― you begin to refine your ideas in public. You gather feedback, test your voice, and learn what truly resonates. You get real-world data on what matters to you and what matters to the people you want to serve.

Is it uncomfortable? Absolutely. But that discomfort is often a marker of growth, the good kind.

Raw, not ready

When I first started sharing my work online, I was terrified. 

What if people thought my ideas were shallow? What if no one cared? What if I made a mistake, or worse, what if I looked like I didn’t know what I was doing?

There were a hundred reasons to delay. And I did, for a while.

I spent way too long polishing every word of every caption. I wanted to be seen as “put-together.” Like I had it all figured out.

But the longer I held onto that illusion of perfection, the more disconnected I felt from the work and from the people I wanted to reach.

Eventually, I realized that nobody expects perfection, especially not in the early stages. People don’t connect with perfection; they connect with authenticity, with the person behind the work, with the growth they see unfolding in real time.

They want to see the journey, not just the highlight reel. They want to be a part of your story, not just an observer of the final chapter.

Your early steps, your evolving thoughts, your “work-in-progress” moments ― these are the things people remember. That’s where the connection is built. That’s where trust starts to grow.

Perfection is isolating. But progress is magnetic.

When you share your work before it’s “done,” you create space for others to grow alongside you. You’re showing people that it’s okay to be figuring it out as you go. Because that’s what we’re all doing, really.

And here’s the twist: your imperfect work might be exactly what someone else needs to see.

Not because it’s flawless, but because it’s honest. Because it reminds them they’re not alone.

Do the thing

You don’t need more time to prepare. You need momentum.

In the beginning, I obsessed over all the wrong things: the look, the tone, the comparison trap of “Is this how successful creators do it?” I tried to follow formulas. Mimic what I saw working for others.

But it didn’t feel like me. It felt forced.

Only through action did I find my own rhythm. I had to experiment. Pay attention to what felt natural. Notice what ideas kept resurfacing, no matter how many times I tried to talk myself out of them.

I had to accept that there’s no single right way to create, share, or build something meaningful. The only way to find your own direction is through action.

Once I understood that, I stopped trying to fit into a mold and started experimenting. I paid attention to what resonated, not just with others, but with me. What felt natural? What did I enjoy working on? What ideas did I keep coming back to?

Clarity didn’t come from consuming more advice or overthinking my way forward. It came from creating, sharing, adjusting. And then doing it again.

I had to let go of the fear of being wrong or looking unpolished and just put my ideas out there. Only then did I start to see what actually felt right.

My focus evolved a lot once I finally started. It wasn’t until I took action that I began to find my voice, and from there, the path became clearer with every step.

If you’re feeling stuck, start. You’ll learn more in one week of putting your ideas into the world than in six months of overthinking in private.

Ideas need air

One of the most underrated benefits of sharing before you're ready? Feedback.

You don’t need thousands of followers or viral moments. You just need a few honest responses, even one.

A message that says, “This hit home.”
A comment that asks a thoughtful question.
A piece of feedback that helps you refine your message.

Even silence teaches you something. You learn what doesn’t land. You learn how to make your ideas clearer, more resonant, more you.

Without feedback, you’re guessing. You’re building in a vacuum. The sooner you can engage with real people ― even in small ways ― the faster you’ll grow.

When you commit to sharing your work before you feel ready, you’re trusting the process. 

The magic happens when you stop fixating on the end goal and start focusing on the steps that get you there. Each small action builds momentum, each experiment teaches you something new, and before you know it, progress becomes inevitable.

Sharing your work isn’t about proving something. It’s about practicing something.

It’s about showing up consistently, knowing you’ll improve with time. It’s about building trust in your own voice. And it’s about realizing the only way to figure out your path is by walking it.

There will be bumps. Cringey moments. Things you look back on and want to delete, rework, or pretend never existed. But those moments are part of the process, the messy, necessary steps that lead to growth. That’s all part of it. 

But so is momentum. Confidence. Connection.

The path unfolds as you move forward, not before.

Practice in public

The most successful creators, solopreneurs, and artists you follow? They didn’t wait for the perfect moment. They didn’t wait until their work was flawless. They started where they were ― with what they had ― even when they didn’t feel ready.

You don’t need to feel ready either. You just need to take the next honest step. 

Publish that blog post. Launch the project. Share your messy thoughts.

Let people in on the journey.

If you wait for everything to line up perfectly, you’ll never start. You’ll always be waiting for that elusive moment of readiness, but it will never come. 

The best time to begin is always now.

The path ahead might not look like what you imagined, but the only way to know is to take that first step. You’ll adjust, adapt, and learn as you go, but you’ll never find your way without starting.

That’s all for this one.

TLDR: There’s no perfect way ― only your way, and you’ll only find it by doing.