Here’s the thing nobody tells you about chasing a dream: you’re probably going to feel completely unqualified when you start.

I think many people have the same problem when it comes to putting their amazing ideas into action – and that is the fact that they’re waiting until they feel ready. Waiting until they have it fully mapped out. Waiting until they feel like they have all the answers. Waiting until they feel like they can’t fail. But my darling – if you keep waiting until the perfect moment, it may never come.

Take this website, for example. I don’t really know what I’m doing. I don’t understand coding or SEOs. I don’t understand Instagram. In fact, most of the time I feel like a dinosaur when I have to ask my friends questions like, “What is a Trial Reel?” An Instagram carousel? Never heard of her.

I’ve also read frequently that I should pick a niche and stick to it. Focus on female empowerment, motherhood, finances or whatever I feel the most connected to. But honestly? I just can’t do it. So many different topics bring me joy – and that’s what all of this is about. Chasing the things that bring me joy in this life. I don’t want to wait until I’ve laser-focused on one thing before I write or create the “perfect” Instagram account. Because let’s be honest – I am far from picture perfect, and my life will never be perfectly curated.

So instead – I’m just going for it. I’m writing articles that bring me joy. I’m writing articles on different topics that I think could help or inspire others around me. And that may mean that I never hit the level of success that I’m dreaming of – but at the end of the day, if I help just a few people in my community, that’ll be enough for me.

I think we also struggle with having the confidence to even launch our visions in the first place. But the fact of the matter is that big changes often happen before the confidence even arrives. Confidence comes from trying and failing, and this is the key part – having the courage to try again. And again. And again. It’s very rare to achieve success on the first try – and that’s OK. That’s part of the journey. And quite frankly, that’s where the good stuff usually comes in. You may have this one vision for something, but through trials and tribulations, your original vision gets so much better.

When describing the creation of the lightbulb, Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Imagine that – having the dedication to try something 10,000 times before creating something that changed the world forever! It’s absolutely extraordinary. Also, before you think that I am deeply brilliant and philosophical for thinking of that quote – just know I actually got it from National Treasure when Ben Gates was figuring out a way to steal the Declaration of Independence. Another example of tenacity and the courage to try something people deemed impossible – although also illegal, but minor details.

Here are some tips to stop waiting until you feel ready and to just go for it.

1. Ask yourself what you’re actually waiting for.

Is it more money? More time? For someone to tell you it’s a good idea? Write down all the fears and then come up with logical solutions to the problems. Sometimes just facing the negative voices in your head is enough to realize they’re not actually that much of a problem.

2. Make the first step ridiculously small.

Sometimes the first step is the scariest because it feels like you’re already on the edge. But by making the first step super easy, it gives you a bit of momentum to take another step and another step. Sign up for a course. Send the email. Buy the domain. Write the first paragraph. You don’t need to see the entire path laid out – just take the first step.

3. Give yourself permission to be bad at something.

So many people are scared to be bad at something, to seem like a failure, to embarrass themselves. But at the end of the day – who cares? We expect ourselves to be good at something before we’ve even tried it. We’d never expect a baby to run a marathon the moment they took their first step – why would we expect the same of ourselves when trying something new?

Besides, as you get older, you really start to care less about what people think, which is awesome. There’s a gift in aging and being more free – much to the embarrassment of my children when I wave goodbye to them at school in my sweatpants, looking like a troll. No shame in my comfy game.

4. Set a start date – not a someday.

Put it in the calendar – I’m going to start writing this week. I’m going to go to one networking event this month. Rip off the Band-Aid and just start. One little start is not a huge deal – but it can lead to great things. Plus, you don’t want to get to a moment where it’s too late and regret not trying. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – I’d rather know that I tried and failed rather than wondering, “What if?”

5. Expect the fear.

I often say – follow the butterflies. If you have butterflies just from thinking about something, then it’s usually a good sign that you’re on the right path. It means you care. It means that it brings you excitement. It means you’re alive. Let that fear or those butterflies guide you.

I’m not saying everything you do will be a smashing success – in fact, lots of your ideas might be absolute trash. I know lots of mine are. But that’s OK. You don’t have to know that something is going to work before you try it. You just have to be willing to give it a shot, learn from it, and keep going. Because even if the idea doesn’t work out exactly the way you imagined, I can promise you that you’ll find some fulfilling joy from at least trying. You’ll find that your soul isn’t as restless when you start going after a dream.

That’s what I’m trying to remind myself as I build this little corner of the internet. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. I don’t know where this will go, whether it will grow into something bigger or whether I’ll look back at it all one day and laugh. But I’m doing it anyway.

And maybe that’s the whole point. You don’t have to feel ready. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to start and see where the journey takes you.