I wasted 3 years trying to “feel ready.”

I wasted years hiding and pretending I was busy.

Took courses I didn’t need.

Listened to podcasts to feel productive.

Created color-coded spreadsheets, elaborate business plans, and fancy Notion dashboards to fake taking actions.

And nothing was moving.

All because I was afraid to look bad or fail in public. I didn’t want to be a bad beginner.

Take nature: Baby birds don’t learn to fly in the nest. They have to jump before they’re sure their wings work.

This is a baby owl learning to fly. Adorable. Image credit: ErrorlessGnome

Most of us perch on the edge forever. We tell ourselves we need more practice. Days, months, years go by. Until we forget we have wings at all.

Every time we:

• apply for a new job

• launch a new business idea

• write a book or newsletter

• speak in public

We all go through a (bad) beginner phase.

This week, I’ve been helping a close friend launch her LinkedIn to get leads for her new business. She is writing posts, engaging, and created a cool lead magnet.

AND, It reminds me how hard it is to start something new. It’s vulnerable, it’s messy, it’s a voice yelling for you to “wait” till you’re more ready.

At first, my posts were robotic, awkward, and honestly super cringe.

Yet, it was the best thing. Because it showed I was trying. I was in motion.

Flailing, yes. But flailing forward.

In hindsight, I remember the exact day that the pain of staying the same became greater than the fear of looking stupid. And everything changed.

• I didn’t just take a public speaking course. I created videos, hosted LinkedIn lives, and signed up for a TEDx talk.

• I didn’t just pay $2,000 for coaching with Justin Welsh. I implemented everything he taught me that same week.

• I didn’t just watch coding tutorials. I started building AI apps myself.

That’s the difference. It takes guts to create your dream life and reach big goals.

And remember: everything looks impossible until you start. Then it becomes just another thing you’re figuring out.

If you read this far, you rock!

P.S. Can I ask you for a quick favor?

Please tell me in this survey which course would be most useful to you. It will only take 1 minute and it will help me tailor a course to help you.

Talk next week,

Noemi 💛