Start before you’re ready: why action beats perfection

Most people wait. They wait for the perfect time, the perfect plan, the perfect moment.

But here’s the truth: you’ll never feel 100% ready.

Successful people don’t wait for confidence – they build it by taking action.

When I first did 75 Hard, I wasn’t “ready.” I didn’t have the perfect plan. I just started.

Same with my first online business. If I had waited for the perfect moment, I’d still be waiting and not having the freedom and life I have today.

Starting before you’re ready isn’t about acting without thinking.

It’s about moving forward despite uncertainty. Learning as you go. Figuring it out along the way.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• Why waiting to be ready holds you back from creating your dream life.
• How successful people start before they feel ready to achieve their biggest goals.
• Practical steps to take action today to change your life.

Let’s dive in.

📌 What does ‘start before you’re ready’ really mean?

Most people think they need to feel ready before they start. They wait for the perfect time, the perfect plan, or the perfect skills.

But here’s the truth: you’ll never feel 100% ready.

Successful people don’t wait for confidence – they build it by taking action.

Why most people wait (and why you shouldn’t)

Fear. Perfectionism. Self-doubt. These are the biggest reasons people delay taking action.

They think they need:

• More experience
• More knowledge
• More confidence

But confidence doesn’t come before action – it comes from action.

Every successful entrepreneur, athlete, and creator started before they felt ready.

When I launched my first lifestyle business and set out to become a lifestyle entrepreneur, I wasn’t an expert. I didn’t have every detail figured out.

But instead of waiting, I took action, learned as I went, and built a highly profitable online business that gave me freedom and the ability to work from anywhere in the world.

If I had waited, I’d still be stuck planning instead of actually living the life I wanted.

The key isn’t waiting until you feel prepared – it’s trusting that you’ll figure it out as you go.

Action creates clarity. You don’t need the perfect plan – just a first step.

– Navid Moazzez

📖 Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, says:

“The professional plunges ahead. He knows that if he caves in today, he’ll be twice as likely to cave in tomorrow.”

This mindset separates top performers from everyone else. They don’t wait for permission or perfect conditions. They start, adjust, and keep going.

Action steps:

• Identify one thing you’ve been waiting to start – a business, fitness routine, content creation, or learning a new skill.
• Take one small action today – launch the landing page, send the email, record the video.
• Trust that you’ll figure things out as you go.

The best time to start? Yesterday.

The second-best time? Right now.

🚀 Why starting before you’re ready works

Most people assume they need to be fully prepared before taking action.

But successful people know that momentum, experience, and learning happen after you start.

Here’s why this approach works:

• Action builds confidence – The more you do, the more capable you feel.
• Momentum creates motivation – You don’t need to “feel like it” to begin. Once you start, motivation follows.
• Learning happens faster – Real-world experience teaches you more than endless planning ever will.
• Perfection is a trap – You’ll never feel 100% ready. The best way to get better is to start messy.

When I launched my first virtual summit, I had no experience, no connections, and no idea what I was doing.

But I started anyway.

I reached out to speakers, built the virtual event, and figured things out along the way.

That one decision led to $20,000+ in profit, thousands of new email subscribers, and opportunities I never could’ve planned for.

And because I started before I felt ready, that single action snowballed into multiple six figures and later millions of dollars in online business revenue.

If I had waited until I felt ready, I can almost guarantee you none of that would have happened.

📖 Marie Forleo, successful entrepreneur, and creator of B-School, says:

“Clarity comes from engagement, not thought.”

You don’t get clarity by thinking about it. You get clarity by doing.

Action steps:

• Pick something you’ve been waiting to start.
• Take one action today, no matter how small.
• Accept that progress beats perfection.

You can’t steer a parked car. Start moving, and you’ll find the right direction along the way.

– Navid Moazzez

😵 The biggest mistakes people make when waiting to start

Most people delay taking action because they fall into common traps.

These are the things that hold them back from ever making progress:

• Waiting for perfect conditions – The right time never comes. and there’s no such thing as the perfect moment. If I had waited for everything to align before starting my first business or moving abroad, I’d still be stuck.
• Thinking they need all the answers first – You don’t need to see the whole staircase to take the first step. When I started my YouTube channel or launched my business, I didn’t have everything figured out. I figured it out as I went along
• Letting fear dictate their actions – Fear of failure, rejection, or looking foolish stops most people from ever starting. I felt this when I launched my first digital product. But every time I took action despite the fear, I became more confident and skilled.
• Over-researching instead of executing – Consuming endless books, courses, and podcasts feels productive but isn’t action. I was guilty of this myself early on. But the real growth came from getting my hands dirty and learning through doing.
• Falling into analysis paralysis – Overthinking and second-guessing every move kills momentum. I’ve seen this with a lot of entrepreneurs – endlessly tweaking the perfect plan while never launching anything. The best thing you can do is start and adjust along the way.

The biggest risk isn’t starting before you’re ready – it’s waiting too long and never starting at all.

– Navid Moazzez

🔥 How to start before you’re ready

Most people hesitate. They wait for the perfect moment. But successful people move before they feel ready.

They don’t rely on motivation – they rely on discipline and systems to take action despite uncertainty.

Here’s how you can do the same:

1. Take immediate action – even if it’s small

Waiting won’t make you more ready.

The only way to build confidence is to start.

• Send the email to an expert you’d like to interview.
• Launch the website or sales page.
• Record the YouTube video.

Even if it’s messy, action creates momentum. Execution beats perfection every time.

💡 Personal example:

When I launched my first online training program called Virtual Summit Mastery back in 2015, I wasn’t fully ready. The idea came after my first summit, and I was still figuring out the details. I didn’t have the perfect product or marketing plan in place.

But I didn’t wait. I launched it anyway, based on feedback from the summit and the initial framework I had. The first version was far from polished, but it was enough to get started and get people interested.

That decision to take action early paid off. When I finally did the full-blown launch, I made over $60,000. And that one online course and community went on to make well over $1 million.

Taking that first step, even when I wasn’t 100% ready, is what made all the difference. Action creates clarity, and clarity leads to success.

2. Learn by doing – not just planning

You don’t need more research. You need real-world experience.

The fastest way to get better at something is to start before you have all the answers. Learning happens in motion.

• Start before you have all the answers. Learning happens by doing, not just thinking.
• Ask yourself: What’s the smallest way I can test this right now?
• Adjust based on feedback instead of waiting for perfection.

💡 Personal example:

When I started building my personal brand online, I didn’t know everything about content creation, SEO, or audience growth.

But I didn’t sit back and spend months researching – I put myself out there, wrote blog posts, hosted my first summit, launched my first online course, and figured things out along the way.

The result? I not only built an engaged audience but also created multiple successful online businesses because I learned by doing – not just thinking about it.

🌱 Growth win – You improve faster by taking action, learning, and refining along the way.

Elon Musk didn’t wait for the perfect conditions to launch Tesla or SpaceX.

He started, failed, learned, and adapted. The key wasn’t having all the answers – it was taking action and figuring it out in real time.

3. Set a deadline & commit publicly

Deadlines force action. If you don’t set one, you’ll keep pushing things off.

• Pick a launch date and stick to it.
• Announce your goal publicly for accountability.
• Break it down into small daily tasks so progress feels doable.

💡 Personal example:

When I committed to doing 75 Hard, I set a strict start date and told people about it. There was no backing out.

Sticking to that challenge not only improved my discipline but also built momentum in other areas of my life.

The same applies to business, content, or any big goal – once you commit publicly, you make it real.

📝 Reflection win – Tracking progress and holding yourself accountable keeps you moving forward.

4. Build systems that remove resistance

Discipline isn’t about willpower. It’s about designing an environment that makes action easy.

• Time-block your tasks so they’re non-negotiable.
• Remove distractions – Use airplane mode, website blockers, or a dedicated workspace.
• Stack habits – Link new actions to existing routines for effortless execution.

🛠️ Designed win – Creating structure makes discipline automatic.

💡 Personal example:

I use time blocking to schedule deep work sessions and habit stacking to reinforce routines.

For example, after my morning hike, I immediately start my content creation session. No debate, no distractions – just execution.

James Clear, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, talks about environment design.

If you want to read more, leave books where you see them.

If you want to work out, set your gear out the night before. Small tweaks to your surroundings make disciplined action effortless.

5. Surround yourself with people who take action

Your environment dictates your success. Hang around action-takers, and you’ll move faster.

• Join a community of builders, not just consumers.
• Find an accountability partner to stay consistent.
• Limit time with people who overthink and never execute.

💪 Resilience win – The right support system keeps you going when things get tough.

💡 Personal example:

One of the biggest game-changers for me was surrounding myself with high-level entrepreneurs and action-takers.

Being in the right circles made execution my default – not an option. It’s one of the fastest ways to accelerate growth.

Every top entrepreneur and creator prioritizes who they surround themselves with.

They join masterminds, hire coaches, and build relationships with others who push them forward instead of holding them back.

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

– Jim Rohn

📚 Resources to help you start today

If you’re ready to stop waiting and start moving, here are some powerful resources to help:

Best books on taking action & overcoming fear

Here are some of the best books to help you take action, overcome fear, and start before you’re ready:

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: This book breaks down the invisible force called Resistance – the thing that stops you from taking action. Pressfield teaches you how to push through doubt, procrastination, and fear to do the work that matters.
• Atomic Habits by James Clear: Master self-discipline with small, daily habits. Clear’s system makes consistency effortless.
• The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone: Most people underestimate how much effort success actually takes. Cardone’s 10X Rule mindset teaches you to set massive goals and take even bigger action. If you’ve been playing small, this book will wake you up.
• Mindset by Carol Dweck: Success isn’t about talent – it’s about growth mindset. This book teaches you the difference between a fixed and growth mindset and how shifting your perspective can change everything in business and life.
• Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins: Goggins went from overweight and stuck to a Navy SEAL and world-class endurance athlete. His story proves that mental toughness is a skill, and discipline is the key to breaking through limitations.
• The 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins: A simple but powerful technique – counting down from 5-4-3-2-1 – to stop overthinking and take action immediately. This book is perfect if you struggle with hesitation and doubt.
• Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers:

Must-watch videos

• Successful People Start Before They’re Ready – Act Before You Feel Ready
• Start Before You’re Ready – The Power of Taking Action

Tools & strategies to execute

• Notion – Organize your ideas & execution steps
• Accountability partner / coach – Get external pressure to commit
• Pomodoro timer – Stop overthinking & just start

The best way to get unstuck?

Pick one thing and take action today.

❓FAQs – Start before you’re ready

Many people struggle with taking action because they feel unprepared, uncertain, or fear failure.

But the truth is, no one feels 100% ready before they start.

Below are answers to the most common questions about starting before you’re ready and why it’s the key to success in all areas of life.

🔗 Final thoughts on starting before you feel ready

The people who succeed aren’t the smartest, the most prepared, or the most talented.

“Discipline beats motivation. Taking action beats waiting. Start now, refine later.” – Navid Moazzez

They’re the ones who start before they feel ready.

• You don’t need to know everything. Start anyway.
• You don’t need to be perfect. Take messy action.
• You don’t need to wait. The best time is now.

👉 What’s one thing you’ve been putting off because you don’t feel ready?

Drop it in the comments and commit to taking action today.