Begin before you’re ready, and other motivational gibberish.

It was a perfect day to head to the lake. The air was thick with heat and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

I peeled my 4-month old out of his sticky sweaty car seat and thought to myself, “I bet he’d love to cool off in the lake.” Without hesitation, I walked down the rocky beach and dipped his toes into the frigid water.

With a scream that ricocheted off the sides of the surrounding mountains, his whole face turned bright red, contorting with a discomfort he’d never known before.

I yanked his toes out of the water and checked his extremities, sure that some great water beast had bitten his toe clear off. But all I found was ten perfectly plump toes, red from the cold. His lip quivered as he stared up at me with indignation.

Sometimes we learn in formal settings. Other times we learn from experience.

I’m not sure who was more shocked by that experience, but we both learned a valuable lesson that day. Lakes are cold. Babies don’t like cold.

Becoming a new mom, under any circumstance, brings with it a steep learning curve. We can’t read ourselves into becoming perfect parents for the child we’re offered. No amount of preparing will have us fully equipped to take on everything that comes with being responsible for a little person.

But something we all do as first time parents is begin before we’re ready.

I wasn’t prepared to be a mom. In fact, becoming a mom wasn’t something I’d ever planned on doing, ever! And when the time came for me to step into that role, I was completely unprepared. Sure I had all the baby stuff, and I’d read enough books to make my head explode. I’d double checked our birth plan and the nursery was in order. Still, none of that prepared me for the actual act of becoming a mom.

To be honest, eleven years into parenthood and I’m still not prepared to be the mom I feel like my children deserve. Not only do they continue to grow and change just when I think I’ve figured them out. I continue to grow and change. Thankfully, through experience, reading, and a whole lot of worrying, I’ve come to better understand the phrase, you must begin before you’re ready.

In hind sight, the most transformative moments in my life have all occurred when I’ve started before I felt ready. I’ve learned with my feet to the fire, so to speak; out of necessity and genuine curiosity.

And it’s not that formal education doesn’t have its place. Foundational knowledge most certainly leverages the rest of a person’s life. But there are limitations to it, and at some point, we have to begin from where we are with what we have, even when we don’t feel ready.

All this is to say, it’s okay to be unsure at times; to be flat out balls to the wall scared. Consider that proof that the thing you’re embarking on really matters! Just don’t let it convince you to continue doing the research, watching the how-to videos, and planning your path.

Instead, strap on your boots, tighten your helmet, and don your elbow pads. One of the best ways to learn in life is through experience, but you can’t gain that experience without starting before you’re ready.

Sure it will probably be embarrassing at times (do you know how many glares I got at the edge of the lake that day, and not just from my baby?). You’ll probably fall down and fail over and over again. But if it really matters to you, your failures will become your best teachers.

All motivational gibberish aside, trust yourself. You’re stronger than you realize.

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