I don’t have it all figured out. Not even close.
I gave myself a long runway when I decided to start my own business last year. I was targeting a launch on January 2, 2024. I ended up launching on May 1, 2023.
The timeline moved-up drastically because I started getting inquiries from potential clients when I announced my plan.
Even though clients seemed ready to hire me, I almost did not act. Why? Because I was scared. I did not feel ready. I wanted all my operations perfectly in place when I launched.
While trying to decide whether to move up the date or stick with my original plan, a mentor gave me some advice. She said: “You are never going to be completely ready. Life is full of the unexpected. You will never have it all figured out. So why not just seize the day and go for it?” So I did.
It felt like jumping off the edge of a cliff, and it still feels that way some days. The rub is that I am not someone who jumps off cliffs. EVER. I plan everything, often rigidly. I do what I am “supposed to do.” But before I knew it, I was starting my own business and doing it eight months earlier than planned.
The jump was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Sometimes, it was so uncomfortable that I felt paralyzed with fear. And there were moments when I felt like a fraud – an imposter.
But then I realized something. No one else has it all figured out, either. To some degree, we are all making it up as we go along. Humans are imperfect. The world is constantly changing. We try. We fail. We succeed. We experiment. We adjust. We survive.
It is okay not to have it figured out but still move forward. Because even when we think we have it all figured out, everything changes, and we need to pivot again.
And I realized something else. While I am good at planning, I also am good at pivoting. And when I do it, I enjoy the challenge. I like experimenting with my business. I like changing and improving. I like hearing what my clients find helpful and what they do not and adjusting accordingly. And I like that I will never have everything figured out because every day brings something new.
I am beginning what I hope will be a long and fruitful journey. I still plan carefully but with full knowledge that I do not have everything all figured out and never will. We live in an uncertain world. And that’s okay. Pivoting and figuring it out as I go has become one of my favorite parts of the journey.
