Stop waiting for permission to start

Read time: 2 minutes

This past Friday, my family and I went to a carnival. My son was buzzing with excitement—running from one ride to the next, wide-eyed and ready to jump in line.

We rode the Ferris Wheel first. You could see the entire park from the top. He loved it.

By the time we got off, he spotted the ride he really wanted to try. He ran to the entrance, but just before stepping through, he stopped, looked back at me, and said:

“When I get bigger, then I can ride that ride.”

It was innocent and true. As his dad, I felt a little sad—I wanted him to have the experience, but the rules were clear—he wasn’t tall enough yet.

Later that night, I realized something: many of us carry that same mentality into adulthood.

We put off the things we want most with our own versions of “When I get bigger…”

• “When I have more clarity, then I’ll start.”
• “When I have more money, then I’ll pivot.”
• “When I feel more confident, then I’ll finally declutter.”

The difference?

My son’s height requirement was real. Ours aren’t.

The truth is, nobody’s standing at the gate with a measuring stick. Nobody’s waiting to hand you permission.

What keeps you stuck is believing you’re not ready yet.

And I’ve lived this.

When I was decluttering, I told myself I needed more time, more energy, maybe even the perfect system—like there was some invisible threshold I had to cross before I could begin.

When I was pivoting my career, I told myself the same thing. That once I had a perfect plan and smoother systems, then I could move forward.

But that moment never came.

The clarity and certainty I was waiting for only showed up after I took the first step.

So let me ask you:

What’s the ride you’ve been standing in front of, telling yourself “When I get bigger, then I can…”?

And what’s one small step you can take this week to get on it?

My encouragement to you this week

Stop waiting for the permission slip that isn’t coming.

Stop creating height requirements that don’t exist.

What you have is already enough.

What matters most is already planted—you just need to give it water.

Close this email, take one small step, and watch how quickly life responds.

See you next Sunday, my friend!