Countless times we come to a point where we want to do something great, something magical and something so life-changing but then, we say to ourselves “if only, I had this” or “if only I had…”, “if only I had more money” or “if only this was different”

This is a statement that comes about very frequently, when we want to do something and we’re very susceptible to thinking about all the things we don’t have instead of what we do and by doing so we miss the greatest opportunities.

John wooden said “Don’t let what you cannot do keep you from doing what you can do” and I for one have been the victim of that many a times, where I want to do something and then I think about everything I don’t have/ would need. The biggest mistake we make is that we wait for circumstances to be perfect and truth be told- it will never be, you have to start now,where you are with what you have..

The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are

-John Burroughs

Before I started blogging I was into video-editing the problem I had was that I had an old beat up laptop and so I decided to save up and buy a new one, with all the specs that’ll ensure smooth video-editing (all the bells and whistles).

How far have I gotten in terms of video-editing? Let’s just say that it is the last thing on my mind and that said laptop is making for the perfect blogging pad.

See, I waited too long and did not start with what I had, I could’ve gotten an entry-level editing software that would’ve also been good, but no, I wanted professional software and look at where it has gotten me (Nowhere). The blog has taken off only because I didn’t care that my previous laptop had to be plugged-in for me to work and that I had to manoeuvre it a certain way.

I had ideas that I wanted to share with the world and didn’t care what obstacles was in my way, I was going to write my posts.

“Even if you’re on the right track — you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

Arthur Godfrey

Start with what you have and not what you don’t, Steve Jobs famously said “Great artists ship faster” the only thing you need to be concerned about is getting your product out/ doing the thing, Kanye West with the Life of Pablo album, made 12–13 changes to it after it had been released. We should do the thing first and then worry about bettering the product, which comes last.

There are countless people who probably have had the Idea for a social network, Über, Amazon etc. but the only reason Zuckerberg and Bezos etc. won was because they were willing to act on the idea and get their product out and then afterwards fix and tweak the bugs, they first took action and the learned what was working and what didn’t.

“If you wait for perfect conditions you’ll never get anything done”

(Eccl. 4:11)(TLB)

No one has ever made a success of anything by waiting until the conditions are just right, we make the mistake of looking for things far ahead that are actually close by.

If you waste your time in doubts and fears, then you’ll be paralyzed for the rest of your life and in a few years’ time someone will execute on that idea and you’ll hate yourself for not doing anything about it.

Take action now, because if you keep debating on what if? You will never reach a verdict on, the only way you will know is, if you take action and do what you can.

Hi! I’m Danley, if you like what I write please share it and if you have something to add, do leave a comment. If you want to read more of what I write, I strongly encourage it (just click on my name fam!)

Start Now was originally published in The Ascent on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.