The Thing About Starting: A Love Letter to Action

For over a year, I’ve been carrying this idea—a blog called The Medley. The tagline? “Every day, your brain processes about 70,000 thoughts. These are some of mine.” Alongside the blog, I envisioned a YouTube channel: part variety show, part lifestyle vlog—a video counterpart to the posts. It would be a playground for topics like productivity, personal growth, fatherhood, and storytelling.

The concept felt sharp and fresh, a beacon for dads everywhere trying to level up without losing their edge. But here I am, over a year later, only just writing this. Why the delay?

Cue the greatest hits of avoidance:

• “I’m not ready.”

• “It’s a dumb idea.”

• And the platinum classic: “I don’t have time.”

Sound familiar? We all have our personal playlist of excuses—a broken record spinning us into neutral.

Readiness Is a Myth

Let’s get real: Starting isn’t about being ready. It’s about rebellion. It’s telling fear to take a back seat while you step into the spotlight. As Mark Manson might say: “You’re not that special.” And that’s your superpower. No one’s waiting for your perfection. They’re waiting for your voice, your mess, and most importantly—your momentum.

The Illusion of Preparation

Chris Williamson nailed it when he quoted the essay Strangest Loop:

“Scheduling time to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Writing a banger tweet about how you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading about how to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. The only thing that is doing the thing is doing the thing.”

That hit me like a barbell to the chest. My life has been one well-curated prelude: lists, plans, fantasies of action—but none of that counts as showing up.

The Fear Formula

Why do we stall? Because starting feels like buying a one-way ticket to failure. But what if failure isn’t a dead end? What if it’s just a detour?

Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb on his first, second, or even fiftieth try. It took him 10,000 attempts. His goal wasn’t perfect execution—it was staying in the game long enough to win a round.

Here’s the irony: I know this. And yet, I still find myself paralyzed, fearing the first step. If I’m honest, I’ve tasted failure more times than I care to admit, but success? That’s still on my bucket list.

As Tom Petty sang: “I won’t back down.”

Lessons From Regret

Ever read the top regrets of the dying? The #1 regret is: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself.” Number three? “I wish I’d expressed my feelings.”

Both boil down to one truth: The cost of inaction is higher than the price of failure.

Tools for Momentum

From my library of self-help experiments, here’s what’s consistently worked:

1. Timeboxing – Inspired by Cal Newport’s Deep Work, this method is all about blocking time, honoring the clock, and fiercely guarding your flow state—because it’s your most precious resource.

2. 90-Day Planning – Tackling life in 90-day sprints with a timeboxing planner helps transform big ambitions into manageable actions. It’s short enough to stay focused but long enough to see real results.

3. Daily Gratitude – The science is undeniable: gratitude fosters better health, greater happiness, and deeper connections with ourselves and others. A simple daily practice creates profound ripple effects.

4. Tiny Starts – As James Clear emphasizes in Atomic Habits, inertia breaks with just five minutes of effort. Start small, and momentum will do the rest.

Why Wait?

Starting doesn’t need your readiness. It needs your courage. Your flaws? They’re part of the art. Your fear? That’s just the price of admission.

The Medley isn’t perfect yet—but neither am I. That’s the point. As Sheryl Sandberg says: “Done is better than perfect.”

Creation is messy, but it’s real. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: Life is too short to stay on pause.

So hit record. Publish the post. Start the damn thing.

If I say it enough—to myself and to you—maybe it’ll stick. Maybe I’ll finally stare in the mirror and be okay with the reflection.

Write the book. Finish the screenplay. Work on that song. Take the course. Apply for that job. Start the business. Hit the gym. Set boundaries. Learn to say no.

Whatever it is you know you need to do—just fucking do it.

Because waiting? That’s the only guaranteed loss.