The Cost of Maybe Later
I was talking to a friend recently about this weird thing that happens when you're standing at a crossroads. You know the feeling, when something could go one way or another, and you're just... frozen.
There's always a reason to wait. Always. Your brain is really good at finding them.
Waiting for the perfect moment is a pretty comfortable place to live. You get to keep the dream alive without risking it. You get to imagine the best-case scenario without facing the actual outcome.
It feels safer. And for a while, it actually is.
But then time passes. And you realize something: the perfect conditions never showed up. They weren't hiding somewhere waiting for you to find them. They just don't exist.
You needed more experience? People who succeeded had less. You needed more money? Plenty of broke people took their shot anyway. You needed someone to validate you first? Most didn't wait.
What you actually needed was to be uncomfortable enough to move.
There's something they don't teach you about failure. It's not that it feels good, it doesn't. But you know what feels worse?
Wondering.
Wondering what would've happened if you'd just tried. That question doesn't go away. It sits with you. Years later, you're still thinking about it.
I've noticed that people who've actually done things, the ones with real stories, they've usually failed at some point. But they're okay with it because at least they know. They're not carrying around that weight of "what if."
The people I feel bad for are the ones who've mastered the art of preparing. They know everything. They're ready for anything. And they're still waiting.
The Thing About Momentum
I think this is the part people miss. It's not really about that one moment. It's about what happens after.
Once you've done something that scared you, the next scary thing doesn't feel quite as terrifying. You start building this weird confidence. Not the delusional kind where you think you can't fail. The kind where you realize you can handle it when you do.
People who seem to have their lives figured out? They're usually just people who've tried more things. They've failed more. They've learned more. Each attempt compounds.
It's like you're building momentum that keeps you moving forward. And the only way to start is to do something first.
So What's The Move?
I'm not saying throw caution to the wind. Do some thinking. But don't let thinking turn into permanent hesitation.
There's a window with most things. Sometimes it's open for a while. Sometimes it closes faster than you expect. And once it's closed, you don't usually get another one exactly like it.
The regret of trying and failing? That fades. You move on. You have a story. You learned something.
But the regret of never trying? That one lingers. That's the one that actually shapes who you become.
So maybe the question isn't whether you're ready. It's whether you can live with not knowing.