Take the Leap

I was going to write another post, but this one has been on my mind and heart, and I wanted to get it out there to whoever needs to read it. So here we go.

I was listening to a podcast about investing for women the other day, and the host started talking about why women fail to even start investing. One of the reasons she mentioned was that as women, we’re trained to only do A+ work. So, we buy books on investing, and listen to podcasts, and follow influencers, and we never end up actually starting to invest because we tell ourselves that we still don’t know enough. I got to thinking about how true that is for any interest that we have as adult women. Investing, gardening, sourdough bread making, QUILTING. I know I’ve often felt like I just need to learn a little bit more about the thing before I’m comfortable giving it a shot. So, I research and read and listen and research some more. And I never end up doing the thing!

Here’s the thing: if you never start, you’ll never really learn. Sure, you need a little information first, but you don’t need to understand every nook and cranny of the of the subject before you’re allowed to give it a try. You don’t have to be an expert and already have graduate school level knowledge in the area. You just need to understand a little bit and have some basic supplies. This holds true for gardening. It holds true for investing. And it holds true for quilting. (I can’t speak to sourdough bread making, because that is just pure magic to me!)

Go ahead. Do it! You’re not going to ruin anything. I’m not going to bullshit you and tell you your first effort is going to be sheer perfection. Realistically, it probably won’t be. It might be a complete mess. But that’s okay! You will have tried and gotten a taste for if you even like to do it. You can always give it another try! That’s the thing is that none of these things are one-shot deals.

Remember anything you learned how to do as a kid. Reading, math, drawing, heck, even driving! You weren’t perfect at any of those on the first try! But you gave it a shot, and then tried again and again and again, learning as you went, until you gained proficiency. As kids, we jumped into things because they look fun. Soccer. Baseball. Dance. Art. Music. We didn’t worry about if we’d be perfect the first time through. We just started, and we learned as we went. I don’t know where or when we decide that we had to have all the information about something before we can even give it a try, but somewhere between being a kid and being an adult, we get this crazy idea in our heads that we can’t even try until we’re perfect at it from the get-go. But like, that’s actually crazy. There’s literally no way for that to ever happen. You have to start and try, and try again, and again, before you can ever be good at something, much less perfect (spoiler: you’re never going to be perfect at anything – perfection is literally impossible).

So, I’m here to tell you today: don’t be crazy! Don’t demand perfection of yourself before you even get started. Trust and believe me that you don’t need to have more information before you can get started! You’ve been researching it for weeks, or maybe even months already! Don’t buy another book or magazine on it. You don’t need to listen to any more experts on their podcasts or read any more blogs (even this one!). Go ahead and give it a try! Just take that leap!

And if it’s still too scary to start it on your own, if you really feel like you need more guidance than you can provide yourself with all the research I know you’ve already done, that’s totally okay. Find yourself a class. There are classes for every interest under the sun. Find an in-person one if you like, or a good online one if you’re more comfortable. I personally learned to quilt by taking a class at my local quilt shop, so I’m 100% a believer in taking a class for that expert guidance! It’s totally okay, and there’s no shame whatsoever in taking a class for your first time, or even your second, or fifth, or twentieth! My husband is the cook in our family – he’s a fantastic cook. And he’s taking a course in paella at a cooking school around the corner next month. So believe me when I say that a class is ALWAYS acceptable!

Either way, whether you just jump in on your own and try it, or whether you sign up for a class, please, please, I’m begging you: just go for it! You deserve to find things that you love doing. And the world deserves all of the joy and beauty you can bring into it through your crafts, hobbies, and interests. Frankly, the world NEEDS every beautiful thing these days. So for yourself and for us all; take that leap!