Listening to a podcast this weekend, I heard the line “you can’t steer a parked car.” In the context of the conversation, the speakers were referring to the idea that you can’t grow and learn and enhance the content you’re creating until you start creating - you have to start putting content out into the world in order to optimize, improve, and perfect that content.
“You can’t steer a parked car.”
For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about this concept, and I feel as though it applies to a lot of the things that we do in our lives. So many people have dreams, have goals, have a list of things that they’re going to do - and that’s great. But at the end of the day, planning to do something, thinking about doing something, means nothing if you never take action, if your hypothetical ‘car is parked.’
Many people want to start a company. Fewer will.
Many people want to further their education. Fewer will.
Many people want to run a marathon. Fewer will.
We can often feel a need to wait for the perfect time to take that leap, take that next step. We tell ourselves we’ll get started “after I finish this project”, “once I’m ready”, “once I’m an expert on the topic”, “once I have time to perfect my business plan” - the truth of the matter is, you’re never going to be 100% ready. Timing is never going to be 100% perfect. Sometimes, you have to just ‘start the car’, and then start ‘steering’ once you have some momentum.
Last year, I launched my apparel brand Liv’s House. In a lot of ways, I had no idea what I was doing - but I figured it out as I went. When I faced a challenge, when I hit an unknown, a fork in the road, I gained the skills necessary to conquer that challenge.
Whatever it is that you’ve been planning on doing, that you’ve been dreaming of, that leap you’ve been planning to take - I encourage you to take the first step. I encourage you to start the car. You will never ever regret giving yourself the gift of following your passions.
Write that book.
Start that podcast.
Apply for that job.
Just start. You can't steer a parked car.