3 Myths Holding You Back and Why You Should Start Today

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” I think all of us at some point in life have something we so badly want to do – start a business, move across the country, buy a house, write a book, get in shape, etc. – and one of two things happens. We either 1. come up with more reasons for why we shouldn’t try than why we should to justify our static behavior, or 2. we hide behind the neverending prospect of ‘tomorrow.’

I know this feeling all too well. I’ve always wanted to start a business, and when my wife and I were dating in college, I would call between classes to pitch all of my “entrepreneurial epiphanies.’ Essentially this was a brain dump of terrible business ideas resulting from too much sugar in my morning coffee. I never did land on the ‘perfect’ idea, and so I did the next best thing and assumed the identity of someone who was going to start a business… one day. Even when I discovered video production as a viable option, I sat on the idea for nearly 4 years before launching Guided Productions. Nevermind the fact I graduated with a degree in Sales and Business Marketing, spent more than a decade as a business professional, and have consumed more books and podcasts on the topic of business and professional development than I can count. I still lacked the confidence to take the first step.

So why is it then, that in spite of all the education, experience, and desire, we still hold ourselves back? Let’s bust 3 common myths that are keeping you stuck, and the reasons for why you need to start today.

Myth #1 - You should have all the answers so you don’t make any mistakes

Something funny happens when we read a book, listen to a podcast, or attend a seminar around the topic we desire to pursue (but haven’t yet). This education can lull us into a false sense of progress, because, well, we’re learning right? You may feel like you’re one more article away from understanding everything you need to know, and that’s when you’ll get started. Yet it doesn’t happen…

Think about it for a second. If all we needed was more information, we’d all be multi-millionaires by now thanks to the internet and now AI. But most of us are not. The truth is, knowledge without action means nothing. In the Bible, James reminds us that “a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” It’s not enough to download a bunch of information and believe you’ll be successful. You’ve got to live your life according to this belief. In the same way that a GPS is useless in the driveway, more information will cause ‘analysis paralysis’ unless you start putting it into action.

The last thing I’ll say here is that many folks are severely risk averse, and will do anything to avoid mistakes. Friend, it’s precisely these mistakes that will give you the understanding you need at the time that you need it. Thomas J. Watson Sr., the former CEO of IBM once said, “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” Mistakes should be embraced, not avoided, so it’s okay, if not, encouraged to start without all the answers. You’ll find that the right information is revealed after you begin, not before.

Myth #2 - It’s better to wait until the timing feels right

Life is busy, so doesn’t it make more sense to postpone that thing you’ve always wanted to do until things slow down a bit? I used to say things like this before I had kids, and now I’m trying to remember what I ever did with all that free time! Maybe it’s not kids for you, but you’re working really hard to earn that promotion at work, or you’re planning a wedding, or you’ve just started volunteering in your community. In my experience, life only seems to get busier and move faster.

Imagine yourself 5 years from now. It’s much easier to say that this future you will happily get started. You can even enjoy some excitement at the prospect of future you starting the thing one day and the amazement of all your friends and family when it comes to fruition. But now, 5 years have passed, and you’re no closer to achieving your goal. Now imagine you start today. It’s messy, but you’re learning from your mistakes and making progress every day. By the time you hit 5 years, you are going to have some things figured out, and you may already have seen some success!

The perfect timing doesn’t exist. Start now with what little time you have, even if it’s just 30 minutes a day. Something is better than nothing, and your future self will thank you.

Myth #3 - You may find that it’s harder than you thought

Okay, so what if you start, only to discover that it’s more expensive than you thought, it involves more people than you thought, or requires more time than you expected? Would you give up? Or could this be an opportunity to try, fail, and adjust? There is a big difference between doing something that is challenging, versus something that is unhealthy. Hard does not equal bad, and most things that are worthy of pursuit, also tend to be difficult or challenging. If they weren’t, everyone would be doing it.

In my opinion, this is the easiest myth to bust because you can turn it into a positive statement of encouragement by simply swapping ‘harder’ with ‘easier,’ or ‘exciting.’ Sure, you may encounter some roadblocks on your journey. I’ve certainly been rerouted by my fair share of detours in life, but you may just find that the reward is greater than you expected and those detours protected you from potential harm.

One final thought here. Don’t be so locked into one path, that you miss out on the evolution of your idea. It’s good to have focus and clarity toward your goal, but as you begin to take action, things might develop differently, and over time, become better than you could have imagined. For example, Guided Productions was born from a complete overhaul of my previous brand, Gulf Coast Media. Many of the ideas I had while building that brand were great, but some things needed to be reworked to better align with my long-term vision. Allow yourself to iterate and move on. You may find it’s harder than you thought. But what if instead, you find that it’s better?

Fine. I’ll start. But how?

So you’ve busted through the myths that are holding you back, and you’re finally ready to get started. Use this excitement as the catalyst to taking action toward the thing it is you desire. Even if this is the 12th time you’ve dusted off your idea, make this time different. In fact, don’t even go to sleep tonight until you’ve taken some small action toward your goal and commit to taking action every day for the next 6-12 months. You will be amazed at what you learn from the challenges, you’ll find that the timing could not be better, and you may even discover the process to be easier than you expected.

I’ll leave you with one more Chinese proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Start small, remain consistent, and go make something amazing.