Smart money management for Everyone
Just Start: Action Over Perfect Plans
That idea that pops into your head just as you’re about to fall asleep. The business concept, the skill you want to learn, the side project that could change things. You get that little jolt of excitement, and your mind starts racing with possibilities. You promise yourself you’ll work on it tomorrow.
Then tomorrow comes. And you think, “Okay, but I need a proper plan first. I need to research more. I need to wait until I have better resources, more time, the right connections.” So you open a new notebook, you create a complex spreadsheet, you jot down a few points… and then life gets in the way. The notebook gathers dust. The excitement fades, replaced by a quiet, nagging feeling of “someday.”
We’ve all been there. We treat our ambitions like a delicate china set, something to be handled only when conditions are perfect. We search endlessly for the hidden formula, the secret map that guarantees we won’t fail, we won’t look foolish, we won’t waste our effort.
But here’s the truth so many miss: Just start, there's no formula for winning,
That moment of action, however small, is where the magic begins. It’s the spark that sets everything else in motion.
The Paralysis of the "Perfect Plan"
Why do we hold ourselves back? It’s simple: fear. Fear of failure is a big one. But often, it’s also the fear of ambiguity. We want a clear, step-by-step recipe for success. We want to know that if we follow instructions A, B, and C, we will absolutely, without a doubt, arrive at result Z.
Life doesn’t work like that. It’s messy and unpredictable. Think about learning to drive. You can read every driving manual, watch hundreds of videos, and memorise all the road signs. But you only truly learn how to drive when you’re behind the wheel, your hands on the steering wheel, navigating real traffic. That initial action, turning the key in the ignition is what makes all the theoretical knowledge click into place.
The same applies to that market stall you want to open. You can plan the perfect layout, theorise about your ideal customer, and calculate potential profits for months. But you will only truly understand your business when you lay out your first products and interact with your first customer. Their questions, their reactions, the things they like and dislike, that’s data you can’t get from any plan. That’s real-world information that allows you to adapt and improve.
Waiting for the perfect moment is like waiting for all the traffic lights in the city to turn green before you leave your house. You’ll never go anywhere.
How Action Invites Luck to the Party
Now, let’s talk about serendipity. That wonderful, almost magical word for a fortunate accident. We often think of it as pure, random chance, like finding money on the street. But serendipity isn’t entirely random. It’s opportunistic. It favours those who are out in the world, doing things, creating opportunities for chance to occur.
When you take action, you dramatically increase your “surface area for luck.”
You meet people: By starting that small baking business from your home, you deliver a cake to a client who happens to be planning a large wedding. They love your work and book you for the event. That connection wouldn’t have happened if you were still just “planning” to start.
You learn things: By actually writing the first chapter of that book, you stumble upon a narrative thread you’d never considered while just thinking about it. The act of doing unlocked a new creative path.
You attract opportunities: By posting your first clumsy video online about repairing phones, the algorithm starts showing it to people. One of those people runs a local repair shop and needs an apprentice. They message you.
A psychological concept, the Luck Factor, by researcher Richard Wiseman, found that “lucky” people aren’t fundamentally different. They simply tend to create and notice more chance opportunities. They are more open to new experiences, they network more, and they adopt a relaxed attitude towards life that allows them to see possibilities where others see dead ends. In short, they put themselves in the path of luck through action.
Serendipity isn’t something that happens to you while you’re waiting. It’s something you invite through movement.
The Power of the "Good Enough" Start
How do we break the cycle? We embrace the concept of the “minimum viable product” or the “good enough” start. This doesn’t mean doing shoddy work. It means prioritising progress over perfection. It means getting your idea out into the world in its simplest, most basic form so you can start getting feedback and making it better.
Your first action doesn’t have to be grand. It just has to exist.
Want to get your finances in order? Don’t try to build a complex annual budget. Just start by tracking your spending for one week. That’s it. That single action creates awareness, which leads to better questions, which leads to smarter decisions.
Want to run a marathon? Don’t focus on the 42-kilometer distance on day one. Just start by putting on your shoes and walking around the block tonight.
Want to learn a new language? Don’t overwhelm yourself with grammar books. Just start by learning three common greetings today.
A relative always talked about exporting local crafts. For years, it was just talk. Then, one day, she spent a small amount of money on a basic website with just five products and some photos she took with her phone. It wasn’t fancy. It was just a start. That simple site was seen by a buyer from another country who was searching for something unique. They placed a small order. Then a larger one. That initial, imperfect action opened a door that years of planning never had.
Momentum builds on itself. One small action leads to a slightly larger one. Each step teaches you something, builds your confidence, and makes the next step easier. You begin to figure things out because you started, not before.
You May Ask
Isn't planning important at all?
Of course, planning is important! But it should be a guide, not a prison. The best kind of plan is a flexible one. Think of it as a rough map for a journey where you know the destination but are open to discovering fascinating detours. Action provides the real-time data that makes your plan smarter and more relevant.
Plan a little, act a lot.
What if I start and I fail?
Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s a part of it. Every misstep is a lesson learned. If you try something and it doesn’t work, you haven’t lost. You’ve gained invaluable information about what doesn’t work, which brings you closer to what does. The only true failure is never trying at all because you learn nothing.
How do I even know what first step to take?
The first step is always the smallest possible one that moves you from thinking to doing. Ask yourself: "What is the absolute simplest thing I can do right now to make this idea a tiny bit more real?" It could be sending one email, making one quick phone call, writing 100 words, or sketching a simple design on a napkin. If it feels too small, it’s probably the right size. The goal is to break the inertia.
The Journey Begins with a Single Step
Your idea? It’s not going to plan itself. The perfect time isn’t circled on a calendar. It’s created by you, the moment you decide that done is better than perfect.
The world is built by people who decided to start before they were ready. They understood that clarity doesn’t come from endless thinking, but from engaging with the world. They trusted that the path would reveal itself as they walked it.
Stop waiting for a formula that doesn’t exist. Stop waiting for a sign. The sign is the itch to create, the desire to improve, the dream you can’t let go of.
Your future self is waiting. Not for the perfect plan, but for you to take that first, courageous step. Open the notebook. Make the call. Create the simple website. Learn the three greetings. Just start, there's no formula for winning, serendipity prefers action.
The road ahead is waiting to be written, and the pen is finally in your hand.
