Would you like a permission slip?
I’ve got a whole collection.
Permission to start the project. Permission to publish the video. Permission to say something imperfectly. Permission to be a beginner. Permission to take an afternoon off without filling it with self-improvement.
Just kidding. I’m not selling them.
Although, judging by the number of books, courses, and programs I bought while trying to get myself to begin things, I might have purchased a few thousand dollars’ worth.
They were beautifully packaged. Some even came with worksheets.
The tricky thing about learning is that it looks so respectable.
And much of the time, it is respectable. Learning is wonderful. There are brilliant people worth listening to. I’ve spent years collecting some of my favorites.
But sometimes the next answer isn’t waiting in a book.
It’s waiting on the other side of doing something slightly embarrassing.
Sending the email. Making the offer. Publishing the rough first attempt. Asking a real person what they think.
That’s not me promising that you’ll be good at it.
You might be dreadful.
Someone might ignore the email. The video might get three views. Your first offer might land with a magnificent thud.
Wonderful. Now you have actual information.
Not the comforting kind you can highlight in a book. The kind you can use.
A useful result is not the same thing as an ego-friendly result.
And perhaps that’s a small part of being okay before everything is okay. You get to experiment without turning every outcome into a referendum on your existence.
Anyway, I’m fresh out of permission slips.
But there’s a lovely old story about treasure and expensive wandering if you’d like one more detour before you start.