Because why not you?

On starting before you’re ready

I’ve spent the last three years writing nearly every day at work with strategic memos, project proposals, experiment designs, and documents that translate ambitious ideas into clear actions. I’ve gotten good at it. But outside of work, I was stuck with a different kind of question: I want to build something… what should I build?

Writing is a tool at work we use to crystallize ideas and to communicate plans across teams that put thoughts to paper, and then to action. Now I’m using my writing as reps towards a goal I can’t yet clearly define.

I’ve always wanted to build a thing but I never knew what the thing was - I still don’t. The advice I’ve always received was to just start before you feel ready and to figure things out along the way. But I would always wonder: What do I work on? I didn’t want to waste time but I knew I was wasting time in not acting and just spinning up dozens of ideas with nothing to show for it.

I looked at “get rich quick” ideas like dropshipping for example, and never saw merit in it, always thinking I was too late. A few years ago, I even launched an Etsy store with nearly 300 sales but the margins were thin and I knew it wasn’t the “thing” I wanted to build long-term. I even thought about making YouTube videos without experience in editing videos or opening a restaurant without ever working in a kitchen.

But when I took a step back, most people started with not much more than what I have - in experience, in cash flow, or in knowledge. I’m capable, I’m a self-starter, and I know I can build something meaningful.

So why not me?

I’ve come to realize that I won’t just find my “thing” overnight. It needs to come through work and experimentation. There will never be a magic moment where I just know what it is. I needed to find something with the least friction and to just start. For me, that was writing. Writing is just the starting point to this journey. It is the practice that is going to help strengthen the muscle I’ll need for whatever comes next.

These weekly essays are how I practice putting work out into the world. By publishing each week, I take a small action to get more comfortable with putting work out. It lets me use this platform as a way to share my thoughts and ideas. I’ve always been private, partly out of self-preservation and fear of being judged. These essays are how I’m working through that by putting something out there consistently and seeing where it leads.

I believe that everyone has the opportunity to build something meaningful. What holds people back isn’t ability, it’s knowing where to consistently focus their energy. Greatness will come from the accumulation of effort, the steady focus on inputs, and the quiet progress of getting 1% better every day.

This essay, the ones before it, and the ones after it, are part of that effort. To get better at writing, better at being comfortable sharing in public, better at thinking, and better at knowledge sharing. I’m not focused on the end goal for now, and instead, I’m focused on what is in my control - the work itself.

I’m a dreamer, but right now the dream is fuzzy. Still, I’m going to keep writing, taking each step, and moving forward.

If this resonates, if you’ve felt that same pull to build something but don’t know what to build yet, maybe you don’t need the answer right now. Maybe you just need your own low-friction place to start.

So why not you?