“I want to try something new. But I’m afraid I don’t know enough and that I will fail. What do I do?”
This community question came in last week. It points to one of our most common misconceptions about growth. We believe that we need to already know everything in order to be successful. But that’s not actually how it works.
Think back to your younger years, where you learned so many important things: how to walk, how to read, how to play certain sports, how to behave in school, how to be a good friend. Think back to your early adult years, where you learned many more complicated things: how to write a resume, how to navigate relationships, how to work on a team, and how to take care of yourself.
You didn’t know how to do any of these things. You knew just enough to get started, and from there, you were able to learn the rest.
The same is true for anything that you want to learn today:
-
Want to run your own business? Start now, using what you know from working for someone else’s business.
-
Want to be compassionate? Start now, using what you know from the last time someone treated you with compassion.
-
Want to improve your physical health? Start now, using what you know from gym class.
You already know everything that you need — not to do it all, but to get started on learning it all.