A simple answer may be: "Little."
I have this really great friend who's a blend of red and blue personality (for more on this, read Thomas Erikson's Surrounded by Idiots). Although he's dominantly red, his blue personality often kicks in whenever there's a project to be considered or carried out. He wants to figure out the minutest details concerning the project—so much so that we'd spend days and weeks asking questions, researching, nursing our doubts, and guessing possible solutions. Sadly, the idea often dies before it even has the chance to take its first breath of realization. Or we convince ourselves that we're not ready for this big dream yet—that we should probably give it some more time and years until we gather enough information, resources, technical know-how, and whatnot. The fear is that we might get stuck along the way or find ourselves in uncomfortable situations.
I must mention that planning and researching are not my greatest strengths; my friend, however, is incredible at them. While he's pragmatic, I'm sentimental. While he's logical, I'm idealistic. While he's objective, I'm not—well, not always. I used to have a grudging admiration for his wisdom and practicality when it came to issues. Now? I still admire these qualities in him—minus the grudging bit.
At some point in the past, I developed a kind of phobia for discussing new ideas with him because, back then, he was more obviously cynical about my ideas. He thought they were out of touch with reality. But hey, many great inventions and innovations in the world today once seemed out of touch with reality.
Tell you what? Many of his, my, and our incredible ideas have died because we were afraid of uncertainties. As I grow older, I'm beginning to question the rationality of having it all figured out before taking the first step. If a baby had to figure it all out before trying to walk, she might never have the courage to stand, let alone walk, until she was perhaps five or seven. If you had waited to get everything right, you’d probably still be in your parents' house by now. You wouldn't have traveled to that new place or met all those amazing people you've been blessed to meet.
More interestingly, falling in love can be a risky business. But if we waited to get it all right, we’d probably never have the chance to be with the man or woman of our dreams—never get the chance to experience that absolutely enchanting feeling of being loved and cherished. We're talking about a total stranger here—someone whose private life we know nothing about, the life they don’t put on social media. Yet we fall in love and go right ahead, giving in to the thrill of our emotions. No romantic relationship is all rosy and fluffy. And neither is any other aspect of life. There will hardly ever be a perfect time.
If that’s the case, why should it be different for that brilliant idea flapping its wings in our heads? The fun, I’ve come to believe, lies in navigating through the hard times that might come along the journey. It's in the pride of knowing that you pulled it off in the end, even when you seemed to have reached a dead end. It's in the anxieties, the on-the-spot flashes of solutions and possibilities, and the subsequent swift decisions. The fun isn’t necessarily in the planning—it’s in the doing. The action.
I know how much I’ve put off because I wanted—and was admonished—to wait a little longer, to give it more time and planning. I know how much further ahead I would have been if I had listened to my gut and taken the plunge with as much information as I had on my mind’s shelf. There are things I should have done—things I should be doing now—if the story had been different. Things I could have been that I’m not. And at some point, that hesitation turned into full-blown anxiety—the fear of the unknown, of the millions of unanswered questions.
If a bird wishes to fly, it must quit just staring at the sky and actually fly. It must master its fear of the unknown out there in the vast expanse of sky. What’s that saying again about practice making perfect?
Admittedly, there are times when thorough planning is necessary before even considering putting a foot out. I know the familiar saying: If one fails to plan, they plan to fail.
All I’m saying is this: you don’t always have to wait before you begin. If it’s a passion, you’ll do everything in your power to navigate through because you wouldn’t want what you love to go to ruins. That’s the fun—the challenge.
So, here I am, resolved to distinguish between the times I need all the planning in the world and the times I need to dive in with as much information as I have. Here I am, letting go of my fears and grabbing the damn bull by the damn horns. Here I am, giving myself the chance to experience the joy of trying out these absolutely amazing ideas in my head.
Now, while I can’t guarantee myself—or you reading—that some won’t be a total disaster, I am convinced that I’ll never know which ones will succeed unless I try. Life is full of fuck-ups. Some dreams won’t make it to full reality, no matter how consistent or intentional we are about them. That’s a hard truth.
However, should that keep me underwater?
Absolutely no way.
So, cheers to courage. Cheers to the joy of not having it all figured out before trying the things we love. Cheers to probably failing and learning from the fall. Cheers to finding our feet again and setting out on another thrilling adventure.
