This article is written by Shari Medini For more on this topic, check out the full Career Success collection

I am a researcher. I like to look up options, and find the “right” way to do things. But sometimes you just have to take the leap! Sometimes you have to settle for “good enough,” and just get started.

Because quite frankly, there is no substitute for personal experience.

You will not get any closer to your goals by following someone else’s tutorial. You have to figure out your own path, you have to make your own mistakes, and you have to have confidence in yourself despite those mistakes.

The opportunities that I have had throughout this past year have been incredible, but the only reason that I have found them is because I got the process started.

Time is going to pass whether you start a new project or not. Why not spend that time making mistakes, experimenting, learning, growing, and working towards your goals?

I could have spent the last year strategizing about how to do things perfectly, but instead I embarked on some imperfect projects that happen to be going very well!

I have friends who took on the daunting task of getting their doctorate degrees. I thought they were crazy to dive into that type of commitment at the time, but here we are… the years flew by, and because they took the leap instead of just wishing and wondering, they have PhDs behind their names!

Of course, we don’t all need PhDs to fulfill our dreams. The point is that we shouldn’t put things off just because it’s not the perfect time.

Ultimately there is never going to be a perfect time to take on more work (or scale back and take on less work), but I am learning to take those leaps of faith and go after what I want. I encourage you to do the same, and I encourage you to keep in mind that…

You don’t have to reach all of your goals today, but you do need to be working toward them.

*For more on this topic, check out the full Career Success collection*