It’s easy to trick ourselves into thinking we need something… when in fact, we only want it.
Sure, it might be nice to have.
It might be incredibly useful.
But only the necessary is truly necessary.
If it’s possible to proceed without it, then – by definition – it’s not required.
How often do we magnify something we want into something that we can’t live without, act without, or succeed without?
The more things we think we need, the more reasons we’ll find to delay taking action & stay where we are.
Whether it’s time, or money, or support, or some factor in the wider environment, or more skill, or more experience, or more confidence, or a guarantee that things will work out as we want, each of these is usually as immaterial as the next.
They’re potential benefits if we have them, a mere distraction if we don’t.
When our expectations go unmet, we focus on the gap that’s left behind – without ever questioning whether it should exist in the first place.
Rather than recalibrating our worldview and acknowledging what’s legitimately required, we dwell on what we lack. Things we’d like, but that are just out of our grasp.
It’s easier to wish things were better than to make them better.
The more we feel we lack, the easier it is to deny ourselves the chance to progress. Because how could we move forward, given all that we’re missing?
But here’s the reality:
The permission to proceed doesn’t come from anything you get.
It comes from something you already have – that can never be taken away from you.
The key is in your pocket.
Yes, things could probably be better. That’s true in 99.9999% of cases. And contrary to what you might think, it’s completely detached from the facts of the matter.
In the wrong hands, even everything isn’t enough.
But in the right hands, enough is everything they require.
So, if you’ve been waiting for permission to proceed:
Stop.
Look inwards.
Take stock of what you have.
Realise that it’s everything you need – because really, what more do you need than the ability to choose?
Decide for yourself whether you want to move forward.
Whatever path you take, rest easy in the knowledge that the permission to proceed comes from you.