Not Knowing Isn’t a Reason to Wait

I didn’t grow up traveling. I didn’t grow up around entrepreneurs. I didn’t study business.

None of that stopped me, and today, I travel the world working for myself. 🌎💻

📸 Stay curious 👀

The Beliefs That Held Me Back

For years, I thought I needed credentials and money to achieve things and live a great life.

I always thought it was impossible to travel the world without being rich.

I always thought starting your own company required a business degree, a very high level of intelligence, and capital to get going.

I always thought what I learned at school would define the rest of my career and life, and I would have to stick with it until retirement.

I always thought it was impossible to deviate from the path once things were set in motion.

How could it be otherwise?

How I Was Conditioned To Play Small

I’ve always been fairly curious and observant, but for around 25 years, I didn’t question much. I believed what I was told growing up:

• In my house, my parents never told me or did anything to make me believe becoming an entrepreneur was a possibility in life.

• Everyone around me always had pretty much the same job they always had.

• As a family, we had everything we needed, but we never traveled anywhere. I remember hearing that traveling was unnecessary, annoying, and expensive.

• I was also told my educational choices were extremely important. They would determine my future, my career, my life. It was vital to pick something valuable which would get me a well-paid job in an office.

• I was also never encouraged to question anything. You listen to authority (teachers, politicians, media) and you follow the rules. There are intelligent people “up there” who know better. “Why?” was often met with “because I said so.”

As a consequence of that, as a child and then as a teenager, I trusted and believed what I was told by the people who loved me and cared about me. I believed the adults.

After all, why wouldn’t I?

The Moment Everything Changed

However, later in life, I was lucky enough to change and started questioning a lot of things (maybe even a little too much 😅).

I remain curious and observant… but I changed my environment and the people around me.

And I learned something that changed everything: who you are and what you know don’t define you. We have the power to rewrite our story, our narratives… what we believe, what we know, and therefore what we do.

The Two Magic Ingredients: Curiosity + Action

This realization not only transformed my life but also led me to a simple yet powerful method anyone can apply.

A combination of two 2 magic ingredients: Curiosity + Action.

These days, I don’t let “not knowing” stop me anymore.

First, I do my best to look beyond what I already know. I consistently seek different perspectives that might challenge my existing set of beliefs and expand my knowledge.

Then, if I don’t know about something, I learn. The internet gives us access to a wealth of information for free or very little money. I fully take advantage of it.

Finally, and this is key because many people stay stuck at step two, I execute, I apply, I experiment, I try. Knowledge and ideas without execution and action are worthless. How many times have you heard or said “oh I had this idea before, I knew it was good, damn…”? Yeah, well, but you didn’t bring the idea to the world. They did. Too bad!

I have experimented and failed many times since I opened my mind around 10 years ago. I didn’t know how to build a website until I started a blog… I spent hours reading about WordPress, hosting, plugins, etc. Was it good? No. But it worked! Now I sell that as a service.

Why We Hold Ourselves Back

What I’ve experienced and often see is the trap of feeling unqualified or simply not ready.

I think this is the consequence of years of conditioning by the system we live in. We are told to pick a major at school, get a job, and pursue a career. We feel this will define the rest of our lives. Without the degree that says we are qualified at something, we’re not allowed to do anything else.

The more we hear and “feel” this narrative, the harder it gets to fight it.

So when we have a new interest, a path or opportunity sparking our curiosity but different from what we know and are used to… we feel we cannot do it. That we don’t have permission to pursue this new path because we’re not qualified. “I’d love to, but it’s just not for me.”

You Don’t Need Permission

You might sign up for an online course, read a book… but still, even after that, you hold back because you don’t feel ready. You feel like an impostor because reading a few books isn’t enough to qualify as an expert.

Let’s be clear, what’s holding you back in these situations:

• is not the lack of skill and knowledge,

• is not the lack of qualification,

• it’s your beliefs, your mindset, yourself.

You might feel afraid, unqualified, or like an impostor. I’ve felt these exact feelings too. They’re valid and real, but they don’t have to stop you.

The Tools Are Already Within Reach

If you’re reading this right now, you are very privileged to be alive at a time in history where information and knowledge are widely accessible, more than ever before.

• YouTube is completely free (even though I highly recommend paying for Premium) and has plenty of tutorials and podcasts with experts sharing their experiences.

• You can access really good courses on Coursera or Udemy for very little money, and sometimes even free.

• Google is still your old friend.

• ChatGPT is your new best friend.

• Books. Don’t forget that many locations have a local library, often free for residents (and I know many in the US get you access to ebooks and audiobooks via Libby).

• Local or online communities: these can be specific subreddits or specialized groups you can join.

It’s endless; we’ll never be able to digest the wealth of information accessible to us in our lifetime.

That means the “yeah but, I don’t know how to do ___” is not a valid reason for not doing something anymore.

It’s an excuse you’re making up. It’s pure BS! The real problem lies somewhere else.

If you’re not actively seeking information about what you’re interested in, the reasons are probably more “inward” and you have to work on that while being honest with yourself.

Knowledge Is Useless Without Action

Once you know the information, then you might face other difficulties (lack of resources, for example)… but even then, they’re just new problems to solve. And that’s where the second component becomes key: ACTION.

Knowledge is one thing, a great thing. But in a world where knowledge is accessible to so many, knowing is not enough anymore to guarantee any form of success.

The differentiator now comes from how you apply this knowledge and make something out of it.

Just Get Started

And once again, I’m a big believer in a simple solution: just get started. Do. Try. Experiment.

You will suck at first. It will be messy. You will fail. But that’s ok. You’ll learn every step of the way. And eventually, the experience you gather will become much more valuable than the knowledge you acquired beforehand. It’s magic. ✨

And this all thing about qualifications… it will fade over time. The more you practice and get better at what you do, the more confident you will become. The little voice never completely disappears, imposter syndrome always shows up once in a while, but it quiets down. And honestly, most people don’t care about credentials anymore… experience is much more valuable and important.

Again, don’t let excuses stop you. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to work.

• Want to learn an instrument? Buy a second-hand one on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, open YouTube, and start playing! (I actually did that in 2023, I bought a Ukulele in India and learned for a few months via YouTube. It didn’t stick, but it was fun nonetheless!) 🎸

• Want to get into video-making? Grab your phone, film anything, and edit the video using a free video editor. You don’t need to upload it anywhere at first! 🎬

• Want to start a business? Go to ChatGPT, start a new chat, tell it that it’s a business coach, share your project, give some info about yourself (your current skillset, location, etc.)… and ask for a practical guide on how to get started. 🚀

Stop thinking, start doing.

You don’t need more qualifications. You don’t need anyone’s approval.

I didn’t know how to travel the world. I didn’t even think it was an option for me. I didn’t know how to start or run a business, let alone everything that comes with it (admin, taxes, sales & marketing, branding, etc.). And I’m not special. But none of that stopped me.

Imagine What’s Possible

When you want something in life, all you need is the curiosity to learn something new, the humility to be a beginner at something for a while, and the courage to take action and get started.

Imagine what your life could look like if you embraced your curiosity fully and acted on it. This isn’t theoretical, I did it, and so can you.

Don’t wait to feel ‘qualified’. Start now.

If you apply this simple principle to your life, nothing can stop you. 🌟