3 realizations for people in their 20s waiting to do what they want to do

What I learned in the last decade of my life about pursuing long term goals.

I spent my 20s waiting for the right moment to pursue my passion for writing, never getting started.

Now that I am turning 30, I am kicking myself for not taking it seriously sooner. I used to tell myself, "this is just a hobby and I can afford to wait until the right time." In hindsight, this was a procrastination tactic because I was afraid that I wasn't good enough.

Now that I've started posting online it's become clear to me the gap between where I am today and where I want to be.

That's a good thing, it means I am making progress.

Realization #1: Don't wait for permission because you'll never get it.

You don't need a publisher's approval to start writing.

I felt that getting the approval of a publisher before publishing would give me the confidence that my work was good and worthy of people's attention. This mindset was holding me back from even getting started. Perfectionism is the ultimate mind killer, consistently shipping (imperfect) work is the best way to improve.

The truth is no one will ever give you permission to start, you need to be so good they can't ignore you.

Realization #2: Anything worth having requires patience and faith.

Sometimes, the most crucial ingredients for success are intangible: faith and patience.

It takes a long time to get better at something, and even longer for people to start noticing. You need to have faith that your process is taking you in the right direction. And the patience to do it long enough to see the outcome.

There will be days, weeks, and months, where there are no signs of progress, and that's OK.

Realization #3: It's OK to change your mind. 

Oftentimes you set out to do one thing, only to find you don't enjoy it as much as you thought you would.

While you may like the way something sounds in your head, in practice it might not be much fun. Your initial reaction is to feel like you are letting yourself down by not living up to your standards. In reality it's a good thing to change your mind because it means you are moving towards the specific thing which is the best fit for you.

Embrace change, it's trying to tell you who you really are and what you want to be.

Pursuing long-term goals is about not feeling regret.

When I was procrastinating my writing, I fantasized about the possible outcomes without actually doing the work to get there. Deep down I knew that stress testing my ideas would lead to disappointment. But you can't let that stop you from doing what you want to do.

So stick with it! I just know you can do it and it will be worth it.

P.S.

By the way, my girlfriend wrote a post on how she designed the branding for my publication. It also includes an interview with me on my intentions for this newsletter. Check it out!